Dark World
by Lady Saffir
Summary: AU. A chance meeting pulls Relena into a hidden world. Can two people that have only just met survive the intrigue and danger that awaits them? Story rated M/MA
1. Chapter 1

Dark World, Prologue

By Lady Saffir

Series rating: PG/PG-13/R

Disclaimer: If they're from GW, I don't own them. Everything else is mine.

"I never knew so young a body with so old a head." - Shakespeare

* * *

Human nature is a very selfish thing. As individuals, humans focus on their needs and wants primarily.

Love. Food. Shelter. Friendship.

The same thing applies to my people. And what are my people, you ask?

Vampire.

The creature of myth and legend. A being both sensual and deadly, intriguing yet terrifying.

We feel. If pricked, we bleed - although we'd rather be doing the pricking.

We are a selfish people. We collect items across the centuries and guard them carefully. Most of all though, we are selfish about our lusts. By nature we enjoy the pleasures of the body. Heightened senses allow for heightened pleasure, an advantage well enjoyed.

And once in a while our sight settles on a human being. Nothing extraordinary necessarily catches our eye. In fact, it is usually the simplicity and normalcy of their life that makes us stop and notice.

I am the king of my people. The strongest, the most cunning. I beckon and someone answers. In some cases, I beckon and someone dies.

Yet a simple mortal woman has caught my eye. Of face and form she is beautiful, but that beauty is more than skin deep. Oh, she isn't entirely pure and altruistic, but her desire to achieve that has made me stop and take note.

So I have decided that I want this woman.

And what I want, I get.


	2. Chapter 2

Dark World

By: Lady Saffir

DISCLAIMER: I own no rights to the Gundam Wing universe (or any Gundam universe, for that matter). This story is mine, however.

Chapter 1

"I never knew so young a body with so old a head." – Shakespeare

* * *

We met in the grocery store, a normal, ordinary place. A place no one would consider to be a life altering place. I certainly didn't, which I suppose just shows how easy it is for life to fool a person.

I had noticed the dark haired man while picking out some fruit. His back was to me as he perused the apple section, and if the front matched the back, I couldn't wait for him to turn around. He stayed just ahead of me as we progressed through the store, giving only teasing glimpses of his profile. He managed to get ahead of me, and I'll admit to rushing to try to catch up.

It wasn't until we reached the third isle that I finally saw his face. My breath caught. His face was handsome, bordering on beautiful, his deep blue eyes framed by thick dark lashes. The rest of his features blurred as I became trapped in his gaze. There was something about the way he looked at me that sent a shiver down my spine.

"Hello." The simple word seemed to hold more meaning than others would put in it, and for some reason I felt a blush spread across my face.

"Hello," I returned, at a loss for words.

The rest of the trip was a blur, my attention focused solely on the man at my side. It wasn't until we were standing in the parking lot that I came back to myself.

"It was nice to meet you, Heero," I pulled his name somehow from my memory, unable to remember when we had exchanged names.

"The pleasure was all mine, Relena. I can't wait to have dinner with you tomorrow."

Dinner? I had agreed to dinner? I nodded dumbly, sliding into my car as Heero held the door for me, his eyes holding mine as he closed the door. I stared after him as he walked away, deciding to go home and call Quatre and run the encounter by him.

* * *

Quatre ended up coming over for dinner. We had met through our parents when I was in middle school and he was a sophomore in high school. When my parents had unexpectedly died a few years later, his parents had adopted me without hesitation. Our friendship had deepened over the years, so that even though I had several female friends, Quatre was almost always the first person I called with any news.

Over the course of our meal I rehashed my eventful trip. I had only gotten to Heero's name before I was interrupted.

"Heero? Heero Yuy? The man that owns Pilot Corp?"

The disbelief in his tone had me narrowing my eyes. "I don't know. We didn't get that far into our conversation. Shall I ask him at dinner if he's a rich man?"

"If he is the Heero that owns Pilot Corp he's more than a rich man. He's something of a recluse," Quatre mused. "And you met him in the produce section."

"It was the baking isle," I corrected.

Quatre frowned. "If it IS the same Heero, I don't know that going to dinner is such a good idea."

"And why not? Afraid we won't have anything to talk about? Or that he'll somehow take advantage of me?" I glared at the man across the table from me. "You'd be okay if it was some random guy but you find out his name and who he MIGHT be and now you're against it. Why?"

Quatre stared at me before sighing and running hand through his hair. "I don't want you hurt, is all. He's a powerful man, and powerful men have a way of not worrying about others being hurt. Just be careful," he asked, seeing the stubborn look on my face. "And call me if you need me to pick you up suddenly."

* * *

I pulled myself out of sleep the next morning, enjoying the fact that I could sleep in. Spring break had officially started yesterday, which meant I had an entire week of blissful freedom before me.

I puttered about my apartment kitchen for a few moments, waiting for the coffee to brew. The rich smell of freshly ground coffee beans drifted through the tiny space, waking me up slightly.

Once I had by cup of coffee ready, I padded over to the computer, intent on checking my e-mail. My advisor had promised to send several documents to me. I would be graduating in December, and the University required that the paper work be done in triplicate by June 30. At times I wondered if the majority of tuition went to cover the cost of paper.

I did have mail, but it wasn't from my advisor. The mail was from a ' .net'. My mind immediately jumped to Heero. Hadn't Quatre said his last name was Yuy? I didn't remember giving Heero my email, but I also didn't think anything of how Heero got hold of my e-mail. He seemed to be the type of person that made the impossible possible.

Relena,

I made reservations at Sonata at 8, if that's fine with you. Please call

and let me know if this is presents a problem.

Yours,

Heero

I did a quick search of the restaurant online, my eyebrows raising at the images the website provided. This would call for a new outfit. I typed a hasty email agreeing to the dinner time and location before running out the door to find the perfect dress for my date.

* * *

We had finished our evening meal, and had moved out onto the veranda for coffee. Throughout the evening, the conversation had flowed smoothly, shocking me at how easily Heero and I traded ideas and thoughts.

Heero was especially interested in the fact that I was about to graduate from college at the age of twenty, and that I planned to go on to law school.

"So, once you read something, you can recite it from memory?"

I nodded.

"Pretty much. I think that's the only reason I've been able to work ahead like I have."

Heero nodded thoughtfully.

"You should be a spy," he stated.

"I could never," I refuted. "I would imagine being a spy involves faking emotions or cutting emotions out of one's life almost entirely. I will only be myself and leave the lying to those that have no such scruples."

My words seemed to cause Heero some consternation.

* * *

We were walking through the park, enjoying the slight breeze that played underneath the shady boughs above our head. Heero had dominated the dinner conversation with questions about me and my past and I was determined to return the favor. I had only managed to find out that he was an engineer. Now to see if this was the Heero Quatre thought he was.

"You said you were an engineer. Where do you work?"

"I work for the Pilot Corporation."

"And what do you do?" I pressed, turning my head to gauge Heero's answer.

Heero hesitated, shooting me a look from under his eyelashes. "I'm the CEO."

"The CEO," I repeated, laughing to myself as I shook my head. "Quatre isn't going to believe this," I murmured.

"Who's Quatre?" Heero broke in, his eyes narrowed.

"My best friend. I told him I was going to dinner with one Heero Yuy and he didn't think it possible there were two men running around with the same name," I replied, tempted to stick my tongue out.

"Not an old boyfriend?"

I couldn't help the eye roll and the snort that escaped.

"No, not an old boyfriend. He's my closest friend in the world. Don't you have a close female figure in your life that is important to you but the thought of kissing her makes you sick to your stomach?"

"Hn." Heero nodded. "Yes, there is someone. I understand what you mean."

We were nearing the end of the trail when Heero suddenly glanced sharply to his left. I looked as well, trying to figure out what had caught his attention, when a man stepped out onto the path. He was as handsome as Heero was, with piercing green eyes and a headful of brown hair that was styled quite peculiarly, with half of his bangs falling over one eye. He was tall, standing several inches above Heero and towering over me.

Heero and this new man regarded each other in silence.

"Trowa."

"Heero."

I shifted slightly and that seemed to bring Heero back. Placing a hand on my shoulder, he introduced me.

"Trowa, this is Relena Peacecraft, my dinner date. Relena, this is Trowa Barton, my friend and fellow co-worker."

Trowa greeted me politely then turned back to Heero.

"We have some...business issues that need taken care of immediately. It seems that our pet project has several design flaws that need fixed."

Heero treated this news gravely, nodding thoughtfully. He turned to me and said regretfully, "I'm sorry, but I have to cut this short. Allow me to walk you to your car."

My heart fell slightly. I had been enjoying this easy companionship, and I think deep down I was afraid that I would never see him again.

"Perhaps we could meet tomorrow night?" Heero ventured.

I nodded, hoping I hadn't appeared as desperate as I felt.

We had just started to walk back to the parking lot, with Trowa joining us, when both men suddenly stopped. Their demeanor frightened me, as I could feel a certain hardness seeping into them.

They looked around carefully, each tense as if expecting an attack. When it came, it hit us from behind.

I heard a loud explosion and was turning to find the source, when Heero yelled to me.

"Get down!"

Too late I realized his words. Something struck the back of my head, knocking me to the ground. I could hear Trowa and Heero yelling to each other over the loud ringing sound, their voices growing indistinct. I had a vague worry as to what would happen to me, and then the world went black.


	3. Chapter 3

Dark World

Chapter 2

By Lady Saffir

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the GW characters, but the story is mine, as

well as any new characters that pop up.

"I never knew so young a body with so old a head." - Shakespeare

* * *

When I awoke, it was to a darkened room that was quite unfamiliar. I heard someone shift to the left of me, and I turned wide, frightened eyes in that direction.

The man that was seated next to the bed had a boyish face, his wide violet eyes sparkling even in the dim lighting. He had been twiddling with a braid of hair, but his fingers stilled when he saw that I was awake. A warm smile spread across his face, and I couldn't stop the slight uncertain one that appeared on mine.

"Good, you're awake. Heero was beginning to worry."

At Heero's name everything came rushing back. I sat up quickly, peppering the man with questions. "Who are you? And where is Heero? Is he okay? Where am I?"

"Whoa, whoa, easy with the questions!" The man laughed. "One at a time. I'm Duo Maxwell, Heero's best friend. As for Heero, he's fine. He's a few doors down, taking care of some business. He didn't know when you'd wake up so thought he'd get as much work done as possible while I was around to attend to your every need," he added with a flourish. "Is m'lady parched? Casa de Yuy serves only the finest in room temperature water."

I couldn't help laughing at this man's eloquent bow that accompanied his last words. I was instantly at ease with him, his manner so open you couldn't help but feel you had known him for a long time.

"Water would be nice, thank you," I replied.

Duo turned away and headed towards the door, but before he could take three steps it opened inward and Heero stood framed in the opening.

I was glad that I was sitting down already, because the look he gave me made my knees feel weak. Had he always looked so dark and dangerous?

He smiled then, and crossed over to the bed, sitting on the edge gingerly.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine," I answered cautiously. "What happened?"

"I'm afraid that someone I used to do business with was unhappy with me, and decided to try and take me out," he answered smoothly.

"What?! They've been arrested, right? If you know who attacked you, you've told the police, right?"

Heero frowned.

"I've talked with the police but there isn't any concrete evidence linking him to this attack yet," he answered slowly. "I promise you though, you're safe. I won't let anything happen to you," his face so serious I had to believe him.

"Where am I?" I asked, changing the subject, taking in the huge room. The walls were done in a dark blue, with what looked like flecks of silver in the actual paint itself. A large reprint of Van Gogh's 'Starry

Night' took up a large portion of one wall, and the celestial theme was carried throughout the room.

I loved it.

"We brought you back to my home. If you are feeling well enough later, I'll give you a tour."

"How about right now? I'm actually feeling pretty good."

With a shock, I realized it was the truth. Heero, on the other hand, looked a bit pale, but I couldn't only compare his color with what I had seen the two times before.

"What about you?" I asked.

"I'm fine. A little tired," Heero amended, seeing my look. "I was up late last night. You're sure you feel okay?"

"I'm fine, Heero, no worries." I swung my legs over the edge of the bed to prove that I was indeed fine, and threw in a few jumps for emphasis.

"See? Good as new!"

Heero eyed me unbelievingly, but held out his hand to me.

"All right, we'll do it now."

On our way down the stairs (Duo on one side and Heero on the other) we ran into a scowling Chinese man.

"You shouldn't be out of bed," he addressed me curtly.

"I'll get out of bed whenever I feel like it," I retorted.

Heero merely raised an eyebrow at this exchange, but Duo had no qualms about snickering openly.

"Relena, I'd like you to meet Wufei Chang; friend, doctor, and all around nag," Heero introduced, smirking at his friend.

"He's worse than a woman," Duo added, earning a death glare from Wufei and an indignant 'hey' from me.

"As many times as I've treated the two of you, you should be a bit nicer," Wufei returned.

When he saw that I had no intention of returning to bed he included himself in our party, trailing behind and muttering to himself occasionally about the hard headedness of women.

* * *

The house Heero showed me was actually a mansion. The rooms were large and airy, and each one had a distinct style to it. My favorite rooms were the music room, as Heero called it, and the kitchen. Both were done in blues much like Heero's bedroom. The kitchen had cobalt blue walls with an almost white tile counter top and stainless steel appliances, and the contrast was wonderful.

We were seated in the kitchen, Heero and Wufei opting for wine while I sipped at a glass of water, when Heero made the mistake of mentioning the gardens. I have absolutely no ability to grow even the smallest thing but I love to wander around the local arboretum and enjoy the success of others in encouraging plants to bloom.

"Can we go see the gardens now?"

Heero and Wufei, who were in the process of drinking their wine, stopped suddenly, and all three men exchanged a loaded look. I could have sworn they were almost talking to each other.

"Why don't you wait until the sun starts to set? It's late afternoon but the sun still might be a bit much for you, especially since you suffered a nasty blow to the head," Wufei suggested.

"A nasty blow to the head?" I repeated, wrinkling my nose. "Do you always sound like you've just come from the 1800's?" I made a face at such outdated wording before continuing.

"I'm perfectly fine, really. I've always been a fast healer," I insisted, earning another 'look' among the men.

Finally Heero spoke up, not sounding at all regretful.

"I unfortunately have work that I must do, and so does Wufei. Would it be alright if Duo showed you the gardens?"

Both Duo and I agreed to the suggestion (with much disappointment on my side) and headed outdoors while Heero and Wufei retired to their work.

In fact, I didn't see Heero again until sometime that evening. Duo had been my guide and escort for the rest of the afternoon, graciously letting me poke my nose into every corner of the house.

I loved it. I wanted this house, with its large, beautiful landscaping and elegant decorating. It was obvious Heero had money and wasn't afraid to use it, but it still managed to feel like a home.

Duo and I were in the kitchen munching (well, I was munching, Duo was having a full-blown five course meal) when Trowa sauntered in. I was once again impressed with how silent and agilely he moved; he had an almost feline grace about him.

He nodded to each of us.

"Duo, Relena. I'm glad to see that you're feeling much better," he directed at me.

"Thank you. Although..." I trailed off, having turned to look at the doorway behind him. Both men turned to look as well, and it was then that Heero strode through the door, Wufei accompanying him.

I felt the gaze of my two companions, and wondered at it. I had simply heard Heero approaching, hadn't I?

Heero tsked at me when he saw my empty plate.

"And here I was getting ready to take you out to dinner, if you had liked."

"Actually, I'm still pretty hungry," I commented, surprised to find that was the truth. I was hungry; in fact, I felt like I hadn't eaten for quite a while.

The men exchanged another hooded look, then Duo offered to drive me back to my place to pick up a change of clothing.

The thought of clothing also reminded me of something important.

"My car!" I exclaimed. "I left it at the park. Oh, I hope they haven't towed it yet," I worried.

"It's already taken care of, Relena. I drove your car over; I hope you don't mind," Trowa's calm voice stated.

"Mind? Trowa, you're a lifesaver! Thank you so much."

* * *

Duo went with me to my apartment, claiming a curiosity as to where I lived and stating it was only fair that he was allowed to poke around in my home. I wasn't fooled for a moment though; Heero had told him to make sure nothing happened to me.

Sound foolish? I hadn't known Heero for that long, and I had known his friends even less a period of time, but he commanded their respect and their friendship. He claimed that they were all equal shareholders in their business, but I had a feeling that when he said jump, they asked how high.

It briefly occurred to me that I was putting quite a bit of trust in a man I had known for barely a day, but I shrugged the thought off. I refused to allow paranoia about what 'might happen' to dictate my life. If something happened, so be it, I would meet it head on.

Duo wandered around my apartment while I took a shower and dressed. He seemed particularly interested in the pictures of me and Quatre, asking many questions.

"So this is your guy, huh?"

I turned around from where I was applying make-up to see him holding the most recent picture. We were at one of his family reunions, and one of his sisters had caught us as we were looking at each other intently, a smile on our lips.

"Yeah, that's Quatre - my best friend. Don't let the angelic look fool you," I informed him. "It's all an act to disarm you with his wit and charm.

He can be quite the little hellion," I laughed, remembering fondly some of the scrapes he had told me from his childhood.

"Some people say the same of me," Duo returned cheekily, flashing me one of his megawatt smiles.

It didn't fool me for an instant.

"I agree," I replied bluntly. "You may smile and laugh a lot, but anyone with half a brain should be able to see through it."

My words for some reason both amused Duo and put him on guard.

"What do you mean?"

I stared at him in the mirror while I applied my lipstick.

"I mean that you are a person not to be messed with. Any of you, for that matter," I waved my lipstick around for emphasis. "Each of you has a different technique, but it's obvious to me, at least, that a person doesn't want to get on your bad side."

Duo's eyelids lowered for just a fraction of a second, but it was enough for me to see it and understand what it meant.

I had figured out a dangerous piece of information.

* * *

Dinner was absolutely wonderful. Heero, Trowa and Wufei hardly ate, but at least I had Duo to keep me company as I inhaled twelve blissful ounces of medium rare New York Strip steak.

And a baked potato, and half of the appetizer, and a salad, and one of those little loaves of bread, and five glasses of sweet tea.

Heero watched me devour my food with amusement quirking at his lips;

Trowa raised an eyebrow, shooting Heero a look I couldn't quite understand; Wufei brooded over something, giving me several looks that didn't seem friendly; and Duo challenged me to an eating contest. He won, but barely.

Despite me barely knowing any of them, the conversation flowed freely, and I found myself liking this particular group of men more with every joke. I was sure Quatre would enjoy their company as well. The thought flitted across my mind that I should give him a call and let him know everything that had happened. Then Heero caught my attention and all else faded to unimportance.


	4. Chapter 4

Dark World

Chapter 3

By Lady Saffir

DISCLAIMER: I am making ZERO profit from this story, since the characters don't belong to me.

LEMON ALERT!

AN - This chapter might confuse a few people, but I plan on the next one explaining many things, so please bear with me.

"I never knew so young a body with so old a head." - Shakespeare

* * *

When we returned to Heero's mansion, he and I went for a walk along the beach. Yes, his house was right on the sea shore, so it literally had everything, from a billiards room to a library to a pool that had several underwater lights for night-time swimming.

There was a pale crescent moon hanging in the dark sky, and the area around it struck me as being very close to Heero's eye color.

Our walk was filled with silence, but unlike the awkward 'first date' silence that could have been expected, this was instead comfortable and relaxing, and I stopped to stare out over the ocean. I sighed in contentment and closed my eyes, turning my face up to let the moonbeams caress it.

"I want you to stay with me."

Startled, my eyes flew open to rest on Heero, who was standing patiently at my side. His gaze was intense and his eyes seemed more alive than before, as the weak light played with the shadows.

In fact, all of him seemed to have altered in some dangerous way, and for a moment I fancied that I was in peril.

Then his gaze softened and the feeling passed, but his words still hung in the air.

"Why?" I asked curiously, tilting my head to one side to peer at him.

"My enemies might still be after me, and they might think that if they harm you, I will agree to do what they want. If you stay around for a few days, I can be sure that nothing will happen."

I turned to regard him fully, my gaze frank as I stepped closer to him.

"That's not the whole truth, is it?"

Heero stared off into the distance for such a time that I thought he was going to ignore my question. Finally though, he tilted his head down, the expression on his face unreadable.

"No."

"Then what is the whole truth?" I whispered, watching as his face slowly lowered to mine. I knew what was about to happen and a shiver of anticipation fell down my spine.

"I think I'm falling in love with you," he answered huskily, the words brushing across my face in a warm puff of breath.

Then he kissed me, and it seemed as if everything changed.

* * *

Trowa was leaning against the deck railing, peering intently at the scene on the beach. Duo, braid flung haphazardly over the railing as he lounged with his back against the rail, kept up a running commentary on what was happening.

"Yup, he's gonna do it. He's gonna kiss her...no, wait, of course he just can't do it, he has to ruin the moment and talk," he sighed, shaking his head at his long-time friend's actions.

"Oh, wait...he just said he's falling in love with her!" Duo announced theatrically.

"Mr. Romantic; how did I get stuck with such a sap?" he muttered, earning a snort from Trowa.

"He said he THINKS he's falling in love with her," Trowa corrected, turning to look at his friend. "And since when does Heero not block his thoughts from you?"

Duo smiled, a hint of bitterness in it.

"Because this is his way of letting me know what he plans on doing.

Kind of advance warning, you know, so if I really have a problem with it, theoretically he'd stop."

They were interrupted when Wufei suddenly appeared.

"Spying on Yuy again?" he asked by way of greeting, taking a place at the railing.

"Trying to figure out if this is a good idea, or a bad idea," Duo answered, flopping down into a lounge chair.

"I vote bad idea," Wufei replied grimly.

"Oh?"

"Anything done so rashly is sure to end badly."

Duo snorted. "If you think Heero just 'happened' to run in to Relena and decide to go on a date, you don't know him as well as you think. He's had this planned for a while, I'm sure," he finished.

"I've been to see Sally," Wufei said abruptly, catching both men's attention.

"And what does our great healer have to report?" Trowa asked.

"What we've known," Wufei answered grimly. "Hugh is out to dethrone Heero, fairly or not. Word is already spreading of the human Heero is interested in, so every vampire out to harm Heero will most likely try to use her. She doesn't have a choice now, she must stay with us."

Duo cocked his head to the side, listening to something that only he could hear.

"Heero beat you to it. He's convinced her to stay with him for at least a few days, and for the moment she's buying the 'angry business rival' bit. It isn't going to last though," Duo added, sharing a look with his friends.

"And I have a bit more bad news," he added apologetically. "Heero's already started."

The cryptic statement was well understood by the two men in front of him.

Wufei cursed at great length in Chinese. "The fool! Can't you talk him out of it?" he demanded of Duo.

The American shrugged and smiled. "Hey, doesn't matter how good of friends you are, after almost three hundred years of having the same person for a companion and confidant, it gets kinda old."

"Besides," he added, standing and holding his arms out, "I'm hot, but I can't compare with a twenty year old co-ed. Can you blame the guy?"

Wufei cursed again. "So after he's been with her for awhile, it grows old, then what? He gives her to you and finds someone else to hold his fancy?"

Duo shrugged again. "Might, might not. But I think little miss might be just what Heero needs."

Trowa interrupted the conversation before it could go further.

"They're coming, and Heero's requesting that we please make ourselves scarce. He's suggesting the two of you go grocery shopping, since we're going to need it," Trowa added.

Duo let out a whoop, jumping to his feet to run into the house.

"I'm driving, Fei!"

Wufei paused long enough to glance heavenward, before running after his enthusiastic friend.

* * *

I knew as Heero led me back to the house what was going to happen. We were going to go back to his bedroom, and start a chain of events that would most likely lead to us making love.

I had no problem with that. I had been itching to get my hands on him since I first saw him, as bad as that sounds. He was a quiet person, and I wanted to see what would make him groan.

The trip up the stairs and winding through the corridors was lost to me. All I knew was that Heero was suddenly pulling me into his room, and engulfing me in a tight embrace. He kicked the door shut in the process, and I could have sworn I heard the lock clicking in place, but that was impossible.

Wasn't it?

I quickly gave up that train of thought when Heero started kissing me again. His tongue...I don't know how to describe it, except to sound like a horrible romance novel. It literally made my knees weak, and I was quite surprised to find that the moaning sound was in fact coming from my throat.

Heero pulled back, resting his forehead against mine.

"I'll ask you one more time, Relena," he whispered hoarsely. "Is this what you want?"

His eyes were so serious, and I knew that we were talking about more than just the two of us having sex. This went much deeper. I couldn't imagine the thought of NOT being with Heero though, and so I nodded my head yes and gave him a smile.

Apparently it was answer enough for him, because he bent his mouth down again to capture mine. His hands were roaming over my body, pulling my dress up with ease.

My own hands were busy rucking up his dress shirt, fingers splayed over his back when I encountered bare flesh. His entire body was hard and taut, the muscles well defined. I started to undo the buttons that lined the front of the shirt when he stopped me, pulling my hands up to kiss them gently.

"Let's get you out of that dress before I rip it," he suggested, helping me to release the back hooks.

The dress fell to the floor silently and when I turned to step out of it is when I first began to doubt what we were doing. It was all well and good to want something in theory, but what if Heero thought I was a horrible lay, or was disgusted by my body? What would I do if he decided he didn't want this anymore?

It must have shown on my face because Heero was suddenly there, drawing me close with his strong hands. We resumed kissing and then he oh so slowly moved down to the side of my neck, biting and sucking gently.

I closed my eyes, enjoying the little shoots of pleasure that were spreading out all over my body. I jerked back after a moment though, feeling a slight pain.

"Ouch, Heero, that one kinda hurt," I muttered, and I felt his smile against my skin.

"I'm sorry; here, I'll kiss it all better," he promised, and followed through.

Whatever he was doing with his mouth was driving me crazy, but the only thing I could do was clench his shirt in my hands and whimper. The pulling motion of his mouth against my skin was bliss.

His mouth began to travel lower, his fingers nimbly undoing my bra clasp. His breath was warm against my skin and I involuntarily sucked in a deep breath when I felt his tongue caressing a nipple.

I was growing frustrated with the fact that he was still fully dressed and I was naked.

"Heero," I whispered, drawing his attention away from his task.

"Hmm?"

His hands continued to roam everywhere, and one found its way between my legs. The rubbing motions were rapidly causing my higher brain functions to cease, and I could only grit out, "Naked."

Heero purposely mistook my statement, smirking at me.

"Yes, you are. Something wrong with that?"

"You aren't," I returned, fumbling once again with his shirt. He allowed me to finish this time, and it was his turn to groan when I ran my hands over his upper body.

I was beginning to work on his pants when he suddenly swung me into his arms and headed for the bed. Teasingly he dumped me on the soft surface, and by the time I sat up he had discarded both pants and underwear.

He crawled toward me across the bed, his eyes a deep blue that almost looked black. His body was a pale tan and deeply muscled, but for all that he moved gracefully and it reminded me briefly of how Trowa and Wufei moved.

All thought came to a screeching halt when he started to kiss me again and his fingers began to work their magic. I pulled him down to me, my hand tracing a path down his stomach until I came to his sex. My fingers were rubbing small circles around the head, and then I slipped my hand down the length of him, eliciting another groan.

"Relena..."

His voice sent shivers down my back, but before I could answer he was overtop of me, his eyes staring at me intently.

"I don't have anything," he said.

"Then I guess it's good that I'm on the Pill, right?" I teased, my fingers flicking up to rub his nipples.

His tongue began to plunder my mouth again, and while he had me distracted he entered me, pulling a gasp from my throat. He stopped then and we stared at each other for a heartbeat, before he began to move with long, sure strokes.

The pace that he set was just fast enough to make me want more, the pressure building to an unbearable level.

"Heero..." I moaned, and he took that as a sign to up the tempo. Supporting himself on his forearms he bent his head to my neck, each thrust coming harder and faster as his mouth worked at my throat.

This time there wasn't any pain, just a delicious thrill that crept through my body, building and building until I didn't think I could handle it any longer. I didn't try to hold onto the feeling, choosing to let it spill outwards with joy.

"Heero!" My cry was muffled at his neck, and after several more thrusts, I felt him plunge back in one more time before he came, his voice a harsh 'Ah!' that sounded in my ear.

He collapsed to the side of me then, and we both lay there trying to regain our breath, and enjoy the afterglow. I snuggled into the crook of his arm and kissed his neck, content with where I was.

I suddenly felt extremely tired, and Heero, as if sensing my thoughts, spoke.

"Go to sleep, Relena. I promise I'll be here when you wake," he whispered into my hair.

Shortly after that, I dropped into sleep quickly, and slept like a rock for quite a while.

Heero cast a thoughtful look at the small lump in the middle of his bed, then left, already arranging the future to give him exactly what he wanted.


	5. Chapter 5

Dark World

Chapter 4

By: Lady Saffir

Dislcaimer:I don't own any character associated with Gundam Wing

Enjoy!

* * *

Heero instinctively headed for the roof over the East Wing, knowing that Trowa would be keeping guard there. His mind was untroubled for once, the sex having relaxed him pleasantly, but he knew his friends and advisors would have many things to say to him.

Trowa, as expected, was sitting on the roof, staring blankly into the darkened sky. He acknowledged Heero's presence with a nod of the head, his eyes flicking with interest to the rosy tint of Heero's skin.

"You fed well," he commented blandly.

Heero cast a sharp glance in his direction, then turned to look at the ocean, his face unreadable.

"She makes me weak," he confessed.

"I would say it is the other way around, at the moment. Wufei,"

"Is a nagging old fart that feels every moment of his five hundred years of existence," Heero broke in.

"He has also been to see Sally," Trowa added.

"Hn. What does she report?"

"Hugh is out to take what you have."

"Hugh is a fool that believes himself to be powerful because he is a three hundred years old," Heero returned.

/He has learned of Relena/ Wufei's voiced breathed through his mind.

Heero drummed fingers against the roof, issuing a terse command to Wufei.

/I want to see Sally. Ask if she will come tomorrow night/

/As you ask, I shall do/

Heero turned then to look at his silent companion.

"Speak what is on your mind. You aren't happy with me," Heero commented bluntly, staring intently at his friend.

"She is an intriguing creature," Trowa started, "and very pretty. She has already fallen for you, as this evening was proof of. But you forget two things about her. She is human, and she despises deception."

"They both can be taken care of," Heero waved the concerns away with a flick of his wrist.

"In which order?"

"She is already beginning to wonder about many things, and has learned to read us quite well in the short amount of time she has been with us," Heero pointed out. "It wouldn't take much to help her understand the truth of our existence."

"And what truth would that be?" Trowa questioned. "Would you start by telling her that you were born almost two thousand years ago? That the woman who brought you over did so simply because she couldn't bear losing eyes the color of yours? That you are our leader, our King, the strongest among us? Or perhaps start with something simpler; see if she can handle the small truths before the larger ones?" Trowa challenged, earning a glare from the man seated next to him.

"You only bring up points that I already have thought of; it would be a simple matter to help her understand and grow used to our ways."

Trowa stood, popping joints with a feline stretch. He cast a thoughtful look at his King, then turned to stare out at the ocean.

"You forget one last thing," he said quietly.

Heero looked upward.

"And that would be?"

"She wants children, and you are the one person in the world that cannot give her that."

With that parting shot, Trowa took to the air, his words floating to the ears of the contemplative man seated on the roof.

* * *

Heero sat, unblinking, allowing his mind to drift among the clouds that dotted the darkened sky. He was an Ancient, a title given to one over a thousand years. He was not the oldest of their kind, merely the strongest, the fastest, the most cunning.

Yet a mere twenty year old woman had him tied in knots, leaving him to question his judgments.

He was sure there was humor in there somewhere.

Trowa had spoken true, and he could count on Wufei and Duo to voice other issues as well. But...he wanted her. More than just flesh or blood, but all of her. Her mind worked in interesting ways, and she didn't quite view the world the same way everyone else.

He came back to himself suddenly, feeling the presence of another vampire enter his home. A quick touch was all that was required to acknowledge their kind's greatest healer, Sally Po. She was even older than he himself, and had studied many different forms of both healing and torture, and was something of a teacher for them.

With a sigh he regained his feet, taking the time to actually climb down from the roof and slide into an open window.

Striding down a hallway, he detoured quickly to his bedroom, checking to ensure his command to sleep was still in place. Relena was fighting it though, so he placed a gentle hand against her forehead, sending soothing thoughts to quiet her.

He stared for a moment at the peaceful expression now on her face, then turned downstairs to learn what his people were planning.

Heero found Sally, Wufei, and Duo lounging in the music room. Sally was perched on the arm of Wufei's chair, chiding him about his bedside manners. She stopped though and turned to look at him as he walked in, a secretive smile curling about her mouth.

"You came early," he stated, detouring to the side board to pour himself a drink.

"Wufei said that you wished to speak with me; I have quite a busy night tomorrow, so I thought it would be best to speak with you now,"

Sally replied.

"I want to know exactly what Hugh is planning," Heero ordered, taking a chair next to Duo.

Sally raised an eyebrow.

"Exactly? No one knows for sure; rumor is that he plans on luring you out through the human -"

"She has a name," Heero snarled, the temperature in the room dropping several degrees.

Sally looked at him speculatively, then nodded.

"Of course she does. Very well then. Rumor says that something will happen to Relena, and when you try to rescue her, Hugh will spring his trap."

Heero tapped his armrest, staring thoughtfully into space. Rising, he paced next to the glass windows that dominated one wall, pausing again to look into the night.

"And that is his plan, supposedly? Then why do I feel our kind leaving the area?"

Wufei spoke up.

"They are remembering the last time someone opposed you. You slaughtered all that had even thought of turning against you, so now they are trying to show you that they will not take part in any way of this battle."

"They show they are cowards, afraid of losing their precious 'immortality'," Heero hissed, turning to regard his friends.

"Let it be known that Relena is to become my Companion. Let them think on that and see if they can wisely decide what side to take," Heero declared.

"We understand," Wufei said, casting Heero a questioning look. "You know that Hugh will target Relena - how do you plan on keeping her safe? She will refuse to stay inside constantly, and your current tale will not stand for long."

Heero sighed, running a hand through his unruly hair.

"I don't know. Duo -"

The tall man reclining on the couch looked up, flicking the end of his braid in Heero's direction.

"Yeah, I can come up with something to keep her occupied - when you aren't keeping her 'occupied'," Duo snickered. "As far as distractions go, that's probably your best bet," he advised, smirking at the older man.

"Duo…."

"What? I'm just calling it like I see it. But if you don't intend to lock the two of you in your room, I'll come up with something," Heero was promised.

"Very well. Meanwhile, I..." Heero trailed off as something brushed against his mind. With a start he realized that Relena had somehow broken his silent command for her to sleep, and was looking for him.

He felt more than heard his companions' amusement and turned to give them a sharp look.

"We understand, Heero. No supernatural talk around her," Duo said lazily, casting a sardonic look at the Ancient.

About to reply, Heero's breath caught when Relena suddenly appeared in the doorway.

* * *

I followed the sound of voices down the hallway, trying to fight of the lethargy that was dragging at my limbs. I did not appreciate being left alone, and I was determined to let Heero know it.

When I stepped into the room I felt all eyes swing to me, including a set that belonged to a faintly Asiatic woman I had never met. I hastily swiped at my hair, knowing the action to be futile. This woman was beautiful, every hair neatly in place, and here I was with bed head.

"Good evening," she said pleasantly, slipping from the arm of Wufei's chair. I saw him grasp her arm for a split second, allowing her to slip through his hand hesitantly. She glided towards me and I had to steel myself not to take a step back.

"I'm Sally Po; I work with Wufei," she announced, acting for all the world like it was common to stop by at one in the morning.

"Er, nice to meet you. I'm Relena Peacecraft," I stammered out, unsure as to what to add. Maybe, 'Hi, I'm Heero's sex toy'? Heero was trying to hide a smirk behind his glass, no doubt finding my hideous attempts for normality amusing.

Wufei, in the process of taking a drink, suddenly choked, and Duo helpfully pounded on his back.

Sally regarded everything with a slight smile gracing her lips. "It's nice to meet you, Relena," she said easily, then turned to Heero.

"Heero, do you mind if I stay? I'd rather not have to go back to my house this late - all the crazies are out, you know," she explained.

Heero nodded, stalking over to grab my hand. "Stay if you wish, I have no quarrel with that. I'm sure that Wufei won't mind."

The odd note in his voice at that made me look between the couple, and I cursed myself as being stupid for not realizing that they were, in fact, an actual couple. My look must have said that I had just figured that little fact out for myself, because Sally smiled at me gently, and Wufei rolled his eyes.

"I'm going to bed. Don't forget that we have work to do tomorrow," Heero advised, then tugged me out of the room.

"How long have Sally and Wufei been together?" I asked curiously as we entered his room.

Heero waved his hand in a vague motion.

"Enough that I've lost track; you'd have to ask one of them," he replied, pulling me close to him.

"But not right now," he whispered, bending down to capture my lips in a searing kiss.

"I have other plans for you."


	6. Chapter 6

Dark World

Chapter 5

By: Lady Saffir

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters associated with Gundam Wing.

Rating: PG/PG-13

"One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching."

* * *

The next day, I began to question the wisdom of blindly agreeing to stay with four men that I barely knew. I had only briefly thought of how odd it was that four adult men would live together, but had put it down to loneliness. Anyone would want companionship in a house this large. And I had a sneaking suspicion that Trowa was more bodyguard than business partner. And speaking of….

I smelled something rotten. First Trowa and Wufei disappear, Heero claims to have 'important business' and now Duo wouldn't leave me alone. Were they afraid I was going to vanish in to thin air? Would Heero's business rivals actually go so far as to kidnap someone from his own home? That story was already beginning to wear thin, but I was afraid to push Heero on the subject. Our 'relationship', if that's what you could call something so new, was fragile, and I didn't want to endanger it.

The morning had started out awkwardly as I entered the kitchen to find Duo already manning the stove. He had greeted me easily, not asking where Heero was. I was halfway across the room before the lack of surprise at my appearance and the amount of food being cooked made me wonder if this was a regular occurrence for Heero's 'guests'.

Duo had looked over at where I had stopped in my tracks.

"What's…no, wait," he interrupted himself, screwing his face up comically.

"Duo?"

"Just a second. I'm trying to think like a woman and it takes a lot of work to make the crazy…wait, got it," Duo interrupted himself again, opening his eyes and shaking his head at me. "You were wondering why I wasn't surprised to see you and knew to have food ready, weren't you?"

"Well, yes," I confessed, taking a proffered glass of orange juice.

"Chill, princess. I could probably count the number of times Heero's had a woman stay over on one hand and still have several fingers left. He left me a note, that's all."

"Oh," had been my only comment, my face warm.

That had been hours ago and close proximity had worn down any mental filter I might have had with Duo.

"I'm going to go crazy if I have to stay inside one minute longer," I declared, throwing myself down into a chair.

"Oh?" Duo raised an eyebrow. "And what would madam like to do?"

I thought for a moment, a fiendish idea coming to mind.

"Do you have any board games around here?"

* * *

Wufei smelled trouble - literally. As usual, it had a strong hint of Duo in it, but this time there was something...no, someone else.

He sniffed again, and then listened hard. Make that two someone's, and he wasn't sure he wanted to find out what they were up to.

He sighed though, and continued through the house. If nothing else, he needed to make sure that no one had lost their mind and done something stupid.

The sight that greeted his eyes when he entered the informal living room almost gave him a nosebleed. A large plastic mat with multi-colored circles was on the floor. On top of this mat was a sweaty, shirtless Duo, who was somehow wrapped both above and below a giggling Relena. Heero was interwoven between the two humans, and the tangle of limbs and bodies brought forth an unpleasant mental image.

Then Heero laughed, a full sound that was warm and deep.

Wufei turned and marched out of the room, zeroing in on Trowa.

"The woman must be a witch," he stated calmly.

"Oh?"

"She has Heero laughing. And I don't know what they're supposed to be doing, but it looks like practice for a bad pornography film."

Trowa thought for a moment, and then smiled.

"They must be playing Twister. Do you think they'd let me join?"

* * *

Duo and I had gone to a local shopping center and found a toy store that carried an assortment of board games. We had fiendishly grabbed everything that made us laugh, reminiscing about childhood memories.

Duo had insisted on buying, even as I tried to insist on chipping in at least half of the cost. He had finally said the card he was using was from the house joint account and if the games were going to stay there, it was only right he buy them. I gave in, not wanting to push the issue further. If it were something else, I didn't really want to know. I hadn't gotten that vibe, but who knew?

That had led to an afternoon of fun and gaming, and when Heero had finally emerged from his office, we had coaxed him into playing several games, one of which was Twister.

Now I was feeling carefree and happy again, an afternoon of childhood memories relived. I had taken a breather out on the balcony, enjoying the cool salty breeze that was blowing. Heero and Duo were getting refreshments for all of us, so I was content to wait for them.

I was replying to a text from Quatre – omitting the little details of not having left Heero's since Saturday, and the attack - when something knocked into me, the force pushing me up and over the railing. I screamed, arms flailing madly, as if to grab on to something. But the only thing between me and the oncoming ground was the night air. I knew I was getting ready to go 'splat' and closed my eyes, not wishing to see the ground rushing up to meet me.

I was hit once more, but this time whatever or whoever it was wrapped their arms around me securely, flipping in midair so as to soften the landing blow.

It took several seconds for me to register the fact that I was still alive...and I was still in an unknown person's embrace.

I looked up into a pair of light blue eyes framed by long blonde hair. He was looking at me like he had seen a ghost.

My vocal chords finally decided to work, and I was able to choke out one important question.

"Who are you?"

"Who are you?" I repeated, my voice gaining volume.

"Relena!"

I was still firmly ensconced in my savior's arms, so I could only crane my neck to look at Heero as he approached at a run with Wufei was hot on his heels, and I thought to look up and see Trowa and Duo peering intently over the balcony railing.

"Heero, I..." My sentence was cut off as Heero stopped suddenly, glaring at the man that held me effortlessly.

"Zechs," Heero ground out. "What are you doing here?"

Zechs, my savior now having a name, replied calmly. "I needed to stop in and clear up some...issues with you, Yuy."

Heero, trusting soul that he was, glared in response. "And why did you not come to the front door? How did you just happen to be at the right time and place to save Relena? Give her to me."

"Really, Heero, I'm -" I was unceremoniously thrust into Heero's waiting arms, and the two men continued their conversation as if I wasn't there.

"Yuy, you -"

Now admittedly, I have a temper, but thankfully it has a long, slow burning fuse. But when it burns out, the fireworks are astounding. Quatre had once told me he'd rather have all five of his sisters mad at him than me. My fuse was quickly gaining on 'kabloey' status, and I was still being ignored. Their conversation continued to flow over my head, as if I were a child, or worse yet, a pet.

Argh.

"Zechs, surely you -"

"Heero," I attempted to interrupt, only to be ignored.

Oh yeah, I can feel the steam building.

"Yuy, you don't seem to -"

"Excuse me..." Still nothing.

Three, two, one...

"Hn, and since when did you -"

That was when the Heero Yuy and company were introduced to Pissed Off

Relena.

"That's it! Heero, put me down this instant! I am not some china doll that needs to be held and protected - I am perfectly capable of standing on my own two feet," I ground out, giving as good a glare as Heero.

"I was merely making sure you were fine," Heero countered, trying to sound like the rational adult.

I breathed heavily through my nose and counted to ten.

"Yes, and I think you for it. But now I can stand by myself."

Heero didn't look convinced, and that was when I felt the change come over me. I had been ticked, yes, but now I was seriously angry. And when I hit this level, my voice drops to a deadly quiet.

"Put. Me. Down. NOW." I hissed, and something in my gaze must have convinced not Heero, but Wufei, that I meant what I said.

"Heero, why don't you and Zechs continue your conversation in your office. I can escort Relena inside," Wufei said persuasively.

Heero reluctantly released me from his arms, and the moment I was free I wrenched away from him, trying to contain the maelstrom of emotions swirling through me.

"I don't know who this man is, but he saved my life. So instead of arguing with him maybe you could invite him in for a drink as a thank you." My voice was slowly gaining in volume. "And another thing. You seem to forget that I'm an adult, and not a child."

My words seem to startle Heero, causing him to step towards me with his hand extended.

"No, Relena, I know you aren't a child..."

"Then stop treating me like one," I whispered, turning my head to hide the tears that had welled up. Without thought I turned and ran into the house, seeking an escape from everything.

* * *

Zechs stared after the retreating form.

"Who is she?" he demanded of Heero.

"My future Companion." Heero's eyes narrowed. "Why were you looking at her like that?"

"What is her full name?" Zechs ignored the question from his king, focusing on the information needed to confirm his hunch. "What is her last name?" he demanded.

"Why-"

The taller man made an impatient slashing gesture with his hand. "I mean her no harm. Now what is-"

"Peacecraft," Wufei offered, seeing that Heero had no intention of answering.

Zechs launched himself skyward, intent on confirming the young woman's identity and questioning what he would do if his hunch was correct.

* * *

It was Duo that found me, as I somehow knew it would be. I had managed to find my way out onto the roof, and for a few minutes I forgot everything. The view was absolutely breath-taking. The full moon dominated the sky, and the sky was so clear that even the most distant stars shone brightly. It was quiet and peaceful and had gone a long way toward calming me down.

A sound to my left drew my attention, and I saw Duo scrambling out of a window. Wordlessly he came to sit by my side, and together we enjoyed the view.

A moment passed, and then I turned my head from where it lay on my bent knees to look at my companion.

"Heero sent you."

A shrug was my reply.

"It's shitty he's delegating this to you. Does he think every time we don't agree on something he's going to send you in to negotiate and calm things down? Are we back in middle school now? You had better not have a note asking me to check yes or no," I threatened.

Duo snickered, the action turning into a full blown laugh after a few seconds as he flopped back on the roof. "Oh, you are so good for him. I can't wait to see his face when I tell him that."

"Does he ever stop, Duo? Does he ever stop being lord of the manor?" I pressed, worried that if I let this behavior continue it would become the norm.

Duo sat up, pulling me into a quick hug.

"He's just worried, Relena. I don't think Heero's let anyone get as close as he's letting you. And I think he's tied up in knots, he's so nervous. The man doesn't exactly have a ton of relationship experience so he is totally blowing all of the cues you're giving him."

Okay, totally lost.

My confusion must have been evident, because Duo tried another tactic.

"See, Princess, here's the deal. Heero...he has a lot of power, in both the professional and private world. And while he doesn't give a rat's ass about what anyone thinks, he's worried that something is going to spook you and push you away. We're all worried about that, to tell you the truth," Duo added, pushing his bangs out of his eyes. "I wish we could show you the Heero we knew pre-Relena, so you can see how much he's changed since he met you a few days ago."

Well, that explained some of the looks I'd received from Trowa and Wufei, but not all of them. That was an issue for another time, though.

I mulled over Duo's words, finally coming to a decision.

"I'm not 'spooked' by anything - yet. But Heero needs to stop with the high handed behavior. I can think for myself. I'll listen to his advice, and probably heed it, but the decision still needs to be mine. If he has concerns about 'us' working, then he needs to talk with me about it, not send you out as cannon fodder."

Duo snickered again. "Fair's fair. Why don't you sit down with him and tell him this, and I'll work on him as well. Deal?"

Duo stuck out his hand, and I took it without hesitation.

"Deal. Now, I'm going to go give him a piece of my mind," I said firmly, standing up and heading for the window.

"Go get'm, tiger."

The words made me smile, and I remembered to say thank you before heading inside.

Duo's smile fell at the parting words.

"Don't thank me, Relena. I'm just helping make sure you stay by his side, whatever it takes."


	7. Chapter 7

Dark World

Chapter 6

By: Lady Saffir

Disclaimer: I don't own the GW characters, just this plotline.

Rating: PG/PG-13 for language

Please don't shoot me! If you do, you'll never know how the story ends!

"Men with secrets tend to be drawn to each other, not because they want to share what they know but because they need the company of the like-minded, the fellow afflicted."

* * *

Heero evaded me for the rest of the night, and in a pique I asked Duo to show me to a spare room so that I could sleep. I refused to share a bed with Heero with our 'dispute' unresolved. Eye brows raised, Duo showed me to a room in another wing, quietly mentioning his room was next door, should I need anything. I thanked him and retired for the night, slipping into the darkened room.

Fumbling, I found my way to the bedside and turned on an antique lamp, flooding the room with dim light. The room itself was unremarkable in its decorating, merely a place to rest. Investigating the bureau I found a large dark robe, and undressing, wrapped myself in it before crawling into bed. I needed to think about what I was doing here, and with Heero.

My thoughts were rampant, circling each other and doubling back, only pointing clearly to 'the man has secrets'. I snorted. That was obvious. The only question was, where the secrets insurmountable for us to have a relationship?

With that I drifted off into a dreamscape where my confused thoughts took shape in the form of nightmares.

* * *

I awoke with a start, squinting at the bedside clock and groaning. 7:43AM. Great. I'd had less than two hours of sleep. But what had startled me out of sleep?

Listening carefully, I could faintly hear Duo's raised voice. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I pulled the robe around me tightly, then slipped to the door and eased it open. Just maybe I could find out the answers to some of my questions?

"...like hell!" Duo's voice exploded, extremely loud even with his door shut. A murmur answered him, then Duo's voice was back, every word loud and clear.

"Heero, you're going too fast. You push too hard and she's gone, regardless of what you say."

Going too fast? At what, I wondered, then blushed. True, I had slept with Heero less than two days after meeting him, but that couldn't be what Duo was referring to, was it? I crept closer, trying to make as little noise as possible.

"Heero, she's starting to wonder. She's wondering why I'm here, and why I'm the one stuck to her like glue when it's YOU she's seeing. Soon she'll start noticing you don't eat, you're never seen in the daylight, and you're always one step ahead."

Duo did have very good points.

A low murmur, then a semi-hysterical laugh from Duo. "This isn't the dark ages; you just can't command her and say, 'this is how it is'. Today's women don't NEED men the way they used to and you had better drill that in to your brain, fast. She deserves to know everything you're pulling her in to, and she has a right to say no."

Heero's voice suddenly rose.

"I'm beginning to think you're jealous."

THAT stopped me, eyes wide. He almost made it sound like...well, like he and Duo were lovers. I wasn't that blind, was I?

Ear to the door now, I held my breath, hoping they wouldn't hear me eves-dropping.

"A little, yes, but not for the reasons you think. She'd be good company, a breath of fresh air. God knows we need it," Duo replied. "Don't even get me started on the worlds of good she could do you. But you have to come clean, soon, Heero, or you'll risk her running away and straight into Hugh's arms."

Hugh? Who the hell was Hugh?

"Enough, Duo. I'm tired, I need to rest. We'll discuss this later. Right now, though..." Heero trailed off, Duo finishing his sentence.

"You need to feed. It's been hard with little miss around, hasn't it?"

That statement, and the blatant smirk heard in Duo's voice had my eyes opening even wider. Just what were they doing?

I heard a sharp intake of breath from Duo, then a low moan. I clenched my hands into fists, then without thinking, grabbed the handle and shoved to door in, taking in a sight that I hadn't expected.

I will admit, I had expected to catch Heero and Duo in some sexual position, and what I saw had me wishing that's all it was.

Duo, held loosely against Heero, his wrist extended up, the other man's mouth fastened around it. At the sound of the door opening, Heero jerked his head up, mouth smeared crimson from the blood that was rapidly pooling from the bite marks on Duo's wrist.

"Shit," Duo muttered, trying to staunch the flow of blood and stepping back from Heero.

"Fuck," came from Heero, as he hastily wiped at his mouth.

"Oh, hell," was my response, before I turned and fled down the hall.


	8. Chapter 8

Dark World

Chapter 7

By: Lady Saffir

Disclaimer: The GW characters do not belong to me.

Rating: PG/PG-13

*sigh* Relena has such a potty mouth...and Duo, but we all kind of guessed that already. :)

Also, any dialogue between / / marks indicates mental communication. /Got it?/

"Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding." Kahlil Gibran

"Painful as it may be, a significant emotional event can be the catalyst for choosing a direction that serves us-and those around us - more effectively. Look for the learning." Louisa May Alcott

* * *

I ran blindly, crashing through the first set of doors that led to the outside. The bright sunlight momentarily blinded me and I stumbled, willing my eyes to adjust quickly. I was in a side garden, I noted, as I began to run again. My only thought was to escape, the adrenaline surging through my body to give my feet wings.

Hearing a shout behind me I glanced back to see Duo quickly gaining on me. That look was my undoing, as I tripped over a garden bench and went crashing to the ground. Duo was upon me in the blink of an eye, crushing me under his weight as he worked to control my arms. Two metallic snaps had me momentarily ceasing my struggles, as I looked in disbelief at my wrists.

"Handcuffs?! You asshole! Let me go!" I screeched into Duo's ear as he hauled me to an upright position.

"No," Duo replied shortly, beginning to drag me towards the house. I began to fight again in earnest, using my fingernails as claws and attempting to trip my captor at the same time. As luck would have it, I succeeded, and we went down in a pile of limbs. I frantically began kicking, aiming not at Duo's head or stomach, but rather his knees.

Thinking I was aiming for softer parts, Duo stood, trying to grab one of my legs as they scissored through the air, my still screaming voice breaking the early morning silence. Feinting towards his midsection, I used my other leg to aim a well placed kick at his left knee.

The sickening crunch of bone and cartilage snapping followed, and Duo went down with a screaming, "Fuck!"

Panting, I tried to climb to my feet, only to be toppled again as Duo latched onto my ankle.

"You fucking son of a bitch, let me go!" I screamed, attempting once more to stand.

This time, however, Duo used my momentum to pull himself up, and latched his arms around my body. I screamed again, wordlessly, then pulled my head forward and rammed it backwards, directly into Duo's nose, the crunching sound letting me know I'd broken his nose.

"Goddammit!" He cursed, as blood began to pour down his face, the pain only causing him to wrap his arms more tightly about me. We began a slow journey to the house, Duo unable to control both me and his wounded leg and maintain a normal walking pace.

"Let me go, let me go, god, Duo let me go, please," I begged, frantically trying to get away. Through the open door I could see several shadowy figures waiting, and I began to struggle more, causing Duo to grunt in pain as I stepped on his feet.

"No. Relena, you need to-" an odd whiz-thump noise had Duo breaking off, before cursing again.

"Shit! Heero - sniper!" He cried, trying to get us to the house more quickly.

There were two more odd 'whiz-thump' noises, then my shoulder exploded into red hot pain. Duo and I simultaneously screamed, the pain making me lose control of my legs. We went down in a tangled heap once more, and I rolled onto my side, clutching my shoulder and whimpering from the pain.

"Come on, come on!" Duo yelled. "We have to get to the house."

He began trying to drag me along, crawling on the ground, and it was then I understood that it was just possible that I might not survive if I didn't go back into the house that held vampires.

Have you ever tried to crawl using just one arm while handcuffed? I can safely say from experience that it is extremely difficult to do with any amount of speed. My concentration broke as I thought the word 'vampire', and with a strangled cry I fell onto my side, landing on my wounded shoulder. A matching pain blossomed in my leg and I screamed again, only able to curl into a ball and weep.

A shadow blocked out the sun, and the next thing I knew I was being cradled in someone' arms and back in the safety of the darkened house. I was unceremoniously pitched onto the floor to lie there. I heard commotion around me, and only vaguely recognized the voices as being known to me.

"Mother fucking son of a bitch! I'm going to find the asshole and shoot him. In fact, I'll kneecap him and break his nose, then shoot him, just so he knows just how much pain I'm in," Duo exploded, hissing in pain as Sally tried to check his wounds. "Damn it, Sally, stop poking, it hurts!"

Sally leaned back on her heels, eyeing her patient coolly. "Duo, I have to get the wound cleaned before you start to heal. Otherwise I get to slice you open and pick out the debris. Is that how you'd rather have it?"

"Shit," was Duo's only response.

I became aware of someone standing over me, and looked up into the angry gaze of Heero. I gasped, staring at his face in horror. Burns covered about two-thirds of his face, angry and beginning to weep blood. His hands came in to view and I detachedly noted they too were burned, the skin no longer tan but a sickening red/purple that was sloughing off before my eyes, to leave more weeping sores.

I felt myself begin to hyperventilate, the pain in my shoulder and leg falling away as the edges of my vision began to blur. The last thing I remember is Heero gripping my chin tightly, his blue eyes glaring into mine.

"Sleep," he gritted out, and I knew no more.

* * *

Heero stared down at the woman unconscious at his feet, rage coursing through his body. Whoever had been outside would pay for the multitude of damages done this day. Movement on the periphery of his vision had Heero glaring, turning to face whoever had dared approach him at this moment.

"What is it, Trowa?" the icy rage was evident in his voice.

Trowa tilted his head in Relena's direction. "What shall I do with her?"

"Put her in a room. Wufei!" Heero barked, jerking the other man's attention from helping Sally. "See to her wounds."

Heero turned to walk away, when Trowa's voice caught his attention again.

"Which room?"

"Any room, I don't care," Heero growled.

"Fine. Then I'll put her in my room," Trowa calmly replied, the smile evident in his tone.

With a cry of rage Heero whirled, closing the distance between them, slamming the green eyed man into the wall, his hand closing about the other's throat.

"No. She's mine," Heero snarled, tightening his grip, his fingers dimpling the skin on his friend's neck.

Trowa stared back calmly at his sovereign, a knowing smirk on his face. The hand around his throat prevented him from voicing words, but he was still able to communicate easily. /Then I shall put her in one of the rooms next to yours, if that is acceptable./

"Fine," Heero growled, turning to pace to Duo's side.

""Mine?" Jeez, Heero, what are you, two?" Duo asked, rolling his eyes when Heero bared his teeth. "Ow! Sally!"

"Sally?"

The healer looked up at her leader, answering the unspoken question. "He'll be fine with a day or two of rest. The worst is actually the knee and will take three or four days before Duo has complete use back. So that means no bloodletting," Sally ordered, pointing a finger at Heero. "He needs all of his blood to speed the healing along. And I suggest you start your own healing. Burns really aren't your style, Heero."

Heero waved his injuries away. "I'll see to it later."

"No, you'll see to it now." The ordering tone had Heero narrowing his eyes at the healer.

"And I say you use her blood to do the healing," Sally continued, gesturing the limp form in Trowa's arms. "It's only fair, since she's the cause of all of this," Sally argued, ignoring the warning look from Wufei. "And while you're at it, I suggest you complete the second binding. She's a loose cannon, Heero," Sally insisted, glaring up at her leader. "This is one way to make sure she doesn't run off again, before you have a chance to explain things to her. We can't afford to focus our time on her when Hugh is out there, ready to strike another blow."

There was a pregnant silence, before Heero nodded, and the four other people in the room let out a quiet breath of relief.

"Carry her upstairs, Trowa, and stay with her till I arrive."

Orders given and carried out, Heero remained standing where he was, not offering to help assist Sally and Wufei move Duo to his room. He had many things to think of, and not nearly enough time.


	9. Chapter 9

Dark World

Chapter 8

By: Lady Saffir

Rating: PG/PG-13

Disclaimer: I don't own the GW characters and am making no money off of this.

This is a long chapter, mostly because mister, 'say it in one syllable or less' decided to be all talkative. *sigh*

"The truth shall make you free but first it shall make you angry."

* * *

The air in the mansion almost shimmered with visible rage, Heero's emotions strong enough that all within could taste the danger on the air. The few servants privy to this hidden world kept their heads down and stayed well away from the master's study. Inside his room, Duo brooded, his eyes closed while a frown marred his features. Wufei paced between his two patient's rooms, his thoughts only partially on the healing still required. Trowa alone stood sentinel, using the time to develop contingency plans.

Seated behind his desk, only the tapping of one finger to betray his inner rage, Heero contemplated all the possible courses of action available to him. His face and hands were once again the smooth perfect skin that had been in place yesterday, his coloring still slightly pale from the amount of energy expended to speed the healing process.

With a final tap, silence descended upon the room.

* * *

I awoke with a start, my heart racing and my breath catching in my throat.

I was not alone.

Turning my head, I saw Sally sitting by the window. Knowing it was futile, but trying anyway, I closed my eyes and tried to play possum.

"That won't work with me."

The voice was next to the bed, and with a start I opened my eyes to find Sally now standing by the bed, looking down at me with cool eyes.

"Where's..." my voice faltered, unable to say his name, as my fears froze my voice.

"Heero? I really don't think you'd want to see him right now, as he's still, shall we say, having a snit." Sally's grim voice belied her mocking words. "At any rate, he and Wufei are out - feeding."

At the last word my stomach sank, the mental images flashing back strongly. Heero, holding Duo's arm gently. Heero, eyes widening in shock at my sudden appearance. Heero, his mouth bloody...

With a cry I threw myself off of the bed, determined to outrun the memories. My escape was cut short as Sally reached out with unnatural speed and shackled my wrist in her grip, yanking me to her side. With a stumble I found my legs, standing shakily by the bed as I attempted to control my breathing.

"Do you see this? Or this?" Sally demanded, pointing to my wounded shoulder and leg. I looked down to see scars that were silvered with age and looking nothing like the fresh wounds they were.

"But...how...I was shot," I stammered, gingerly touching my shoulder, expecting to feel intense pain. A mild twinge was all I felt, and startled, I looked up into Sally's cold gaze.

"You need to face facts, little girl. Your actions today caused a good bit of pain to two people that have been very patient with you. It's because of them that you won't feel the pain that comes with such a fast healing. It's because of Heero that you're still alive. I personally would have cheerfully killed you for causing such harm to my Companion."

I was lost.

"Wufei? But..."

Sally cut me off with a slashing motion of her hand.

"No, you little twit. God, you don't know anything about our world, do you?"

"And whose fault is that?" I retorted, my face growing warm. Little girl? Twit? Just who the hell did this woman think she was? "And how the hell is three days 'being patient' with me?"

"Oh, yes, play the poor Relena card. You didn't know what you were getting in to, you thought you would just sleep with one of the most powerful men in the world and have a nice fuck buddy, is that it?" Sally sneered.

"That's enough, Sally."

Heero's deep voice pulled a gasp from my throat, as I whirled to face him. He stood, framed in the doorway, the light from the hallway spilling about him into the room.

"You didn't even hear him open the door, did you? Pathetic," Sally pressed, pulling my attention back to her angry face.

"That's enough, Sally," Heero repeated, taking a step into the room. "I want to speak with Relena - alone."

The last word was almost growled, and I was helpless to suppress the shiver that went through me.

After a long moment, Sally left, leaving me alone with Heero. However, there is something about being at a disadvantage that just puts a huge chip on my shoulder. I lifted my chin, narrowing my eyes to glare at the man standing several feet away from me.

"What do you have to say," I demanded, determined to stand my ground.

I unfortunately chose very rocky ground to stand upon.

For the second time since I woke, I was treated to the true speed that these...creatures, were capable of using.

"I am NOT a creature," Heero growled, grabbing hold of my wrist with enough force to bruise. "You will cease using that term. If you must refer to me by something other than my name, the proper word you are looking for is 'vampire'."

The last was thrown over his shoulder, as Heero began to drag me unceremoniously towards the door. "Where are we going? And how did you know what I was thinking?" I demanded, trying to catch my balance. We were halfway down the hall before I was able to keep my feet under me. "Slow down!" I ordered, my injured leg sending little barbs of pain shooting up my nervous system with every step placed. "Ow!" This last seemed to have broken through to Heero. He stopped, looking me over before swinging me into his arms and continuing down the hall. My traitorous body wanted to curl up in Heero's arms and feel safe. I kept myself rigid, sparing a quick glance at his face before resorting to staring at his shoulder.

"Heero?"

I was ignored, and after a moment we reached the library doors. Wrenching one of the doors open, Heero settled me in a chair before retreating to the other side of the room. I curled up, wrapping my arms around my knees to keep myself from shivering.

The silence that followed was heavy, and I finally could take it no longer.

"What do you want," I whispered, eyes wary as I watched Heero prowl about the room.

"You," came the terse reply. "More specifically, I want you to understand who I am and what I represent. And after that, you have a decision to make."

Still determined to present a strong front, I leaned back in the armchair, crossing my arms and narrowing my eyes and the man still pacing before me. "Fine. Start explaining."

Tossing a glance my way, Heero began to speak, still prowling the confines of the room.

"I was born almost two thousand years ago, in a fishing village. I don't know if I was happy or miserable. I only know that one night I was out late and suddenly a woman was before me. The next night, I arose a vampire. I lived for over a thousand years, traveling the world; experiencing every culture and watching mankind live their short little lives. Then I became king."

"What do you mean, then you became king? How? Surely there's a bit more to the story than that," I interjected, still watching Heero pace about the room.

"The former king was an idiot who pissed me off. I killed him and took his place."

"But,"

"Relena, I don't want to get into a history lesson," Heero stopped me, sounding exasperated. "There is a book in here somewhere," Heero gestured to the shelves around us, "that can answer your questions. I don't remember every detail."

"How can you not?" I protested, finally unable to sit no longer. I stood, and took a hesitant step towards Heero.

"And do you remember what you did on April 17th when you were two years old? Or perhaps what you had for lunch the first day in third grade? That's what it's like for me, Relena. Decades pass by like months, and centuries begin to blur together. I can't remember everything I've ever done," Heero stated, coming to stand before me.

"That's very sad," I uttered without thinking.

Heero's eyes darkened.

"Sad? Don't pity me, Relena. I've more power than you can dream of. Men and women have died simply because I willed it."

"The power to kill is something all living being possess, Heero, and nothing to brag about," I retorted, forgetting my fears and facing Heero, meeting his gaze unflinchingly. "And all the power in the world means nothing if you don't use it for a greater good."

Heero let out a short bark of laughter.

"Power means everything, Relena, and you're naive if you believe otherwise. It lets me do this," I felt the press of his lips against mine for a brief moment. "And this," now Heero was on the other side of the room. "And this," I felt his breath whisper against my ear as I whirled around.

/It lets me do this/

Heero's voice whispered through my mind, the shock of it widening my eyes as I looked around the room trying to find him.

"Heero?"

I found myself crushed in his embrace, his dark blue eyes burning into my own. Then his mouth was on mine, hot and insistent, and I heard his mental voice once more.

/It lets me do this/

Power flooded through my body, setting my nerves to singing as a feeling of euphoria stole through me. Heero broke the kiss, his gaze boring into mine.

"It lets me do this," he whispered, a second before extreme fatigue overcame my body. I could feel my heart struggling to beat, my gaze wavering as my lungs sought to provide enough oxygen to live. I sagged against Heero, hearing his heart beat strongly under my ear. I fought to stand, to breathe, to live.

"Stop," I managed to whisper, feeling myself begin to slip away.

/Stop/

/…Stop/

/...Stop/

With each 'stop' I could feel my heart slowing, giving in to the inevitable. Unable to cry, I felt my legs go weak, Heero supporting me entirely.

/STOP!/

/ENOUGH!/

/YUY!/

The triple cry echoed through my head, and with it I felt my strength return, my heart pumping faster, stronger, trying to make up for its inadequacies in the previous moment. The sheer strength tore a gasp from my throat, as oxygen flooded back into my cells. Heero released his hold on me and I fell to the floor, awkwardly catching myself on my uninjured arm. I looked around the room.

"Duo? Trowa? Wufei?" I whispered, gaze searching for the three voices I had heard.

"They aren't here. The bond allows you to hear them, and vice versa. I suggest you watch your thoughts," Heero said, reaching down to pull me to my feet.

"Bond? Heero, what are you talking about? I don't understand." My breath came fast, little white dots of light floating before my eyes, and with an oath Heero shoved me into a chair, pushing my head down between my knees.

"Breathe," he ordered. Holding my head still, Heero began to explain.

"The blood bond allows one or more vampires to communicate with each other over distance by a mental link. If wanted or needed, humans can be included into this bond. This is done by making the human a Companion."

"The Companion bond allows the vampire to pull energy from the human at times of need, and can also be used to give the human added strength. Usually Companions also act as blood donors and errand runners during the daylight hours."

I struggled to sit up, Heero finally relenting and allowing me to lean my head back against the headrest, my eyes closed. This was crazy. I was hallucinating, I had to be.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"There are three steps to becoming a Companion, Relena. I've already complete the first two steps with you."

"You what?!" My eyes flew open, landing on Heero, who looked wholly unapologetic. "Why? And I don't remember giving you permission to do that!"

Heero shrugged. "You didn't. For the first two steps I don't need permission. It's only the last step that requires you to formally make the choice and initiate the final bonding."

I flew out of the chair, arms extended to shove Heero in the chest.

"You bastard!" my hands continued to beat against Heero's chest, for all the good it did me. He simply stood there and looked down at me, waiting for my tirade to end.

I finally stopped, and I could feel the tears pricking at my eyes. "Why?" I whispered again, my hands falling limply to my sides.

"I had to."

"Bullshit!" I exploded, pulling my head up sharply to glare at him.

"Do you remember the attack at the park?" Heero countered, taking in my silent yes. "You were badly injured. If we had taken you to a human hospital, you would have died within hours.

"But...it was just a concussion," I stammered, one hand rising to touch my head, unwilling to believe I had been that close to death.

"Your skull was shattered and split open in a six inch gap," Heero replied. "It was either take the first step, or let you die. I choose to not let you die."

My hands flew to the back of my head, as the truth in Heero's voice was evident.

"And the second step?"

Heero hesitated.

"Yesterday, after the incident in the garden."

"Ye..yesterday? That was yesterday? But...your face. Your face and hands were burned," I said slowly, looking Heero over for any trace of the horrible burns I remembered so vividly.

"Yes, I was. I've healed them. And Duo's wounds, and your wounds," Heero added pointedly.

"Duo? So he's..." I trailed off.

/I'm fine, babe, thanks for asking/ Duo answered, causing me to clap my hands to my ears and glare at the empty room.

"Stop that!"

"Get used to it, Relena. You belong in our world, now," Heero stated.

"Excuse me? No, I don't," I returned, turning to glare at the man standing quietly by the chair.

"You won't be able to fool yourself for long, Relena. It's better to face the facts and deal with everything head on. That's the only way to keep any sort of advantage over all others," Heero moved closer, raising one hand to touch my cheek. It was only as he wiped my tears away that I realized I was crying.

"I won't let anyone harm you, and I won't let you get away."

"You belong to me."


	10. Chapter 10

Tuesday night

Dark World

Chapter 9

By: Lady Saffir

Rating:PG/PG-13

DISCLAIMER:I do not own any characters associated with the Gundam Wing universe.

*sigh* This chapter was very hard to write, till the end. Lots of explaining to do, and very little action. There's still more explaining to do, but hopefully that can be spread out. And look! Someone is being helpful!

"I have always argued that change becomes stressful and overwhelming only when you've lost any sense of the constancy of your life. You need firm ground to stand on. From there, you can deal with that change." Richard Nelson Bolles

* * *

I found myself numbly staring at the contents of the refrigerator, having been led to the kitchen by Heero after our little 'discussion.' "You should eat. I'll be back in a few hours, then we will talk further," had been his next words, as if we had been discussing the weather instead of my life being turned upside down. I stared at the shelves stocked with an over abundance of food, unable to make even the simplest of decisions at that moment. What had I gotten myself in to?

"Relena."

Should I have a ham or turkey sandwich?

"Relena."

Or perhaps a salad?

"Relena."

Or maybe there was something in the freezer I could warm up? Was I even really hungry?

/Relena/

With a yelp I whirled around, losing purchase on the tile floor as I placed my full weight on my injured leg. I skidded and caught myself on the edge of the island, glaring at Wufei as he lounged in the doorway.

"Don't do that!" I scolded, glaring at the smirking Chinese man. "I hate that."

Wufei shrugged, not moving from his spot of holding up the wall.

"I said your name three times, it isn't my fault you weren't paying attention." The slight taunt in his voice had me jerking my shoulder in irritation.

"So sorry, I'll be sure to pay attention to your dulcet tones in the future," I tossed back, turning to once more peruse the fridge.

"You should eat some protein," Wufei suggested, moving to reach past me to snag a drink. I could hear him take a seat at the table, and I gave up my perusal of the fridge to turn and face him.

"Can you do that?" I tipped my head at his drink. "Or is it something to make me feel more at ease?"

Wufei raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his chair.

"We can drink - for that matter, we can drink as much alcohol as we want, and almost never be affected. We can eat, but only small portions, and usually only when in the company in humans. We prefer to drink though," Wufei finished, tipping his glass in my direction.

"Why?" I asked curiously, taking a seat across from him. "I mean, if you don't need it to survive, then why do it?"

"We do it to try and forget about the blood, Relena," Wufei said evenly, meeting my gaze and ignoring my flinch. "The stronger the flavor of the drink, the easier to forget about the taste of blood. It's a constant hunger, a low grade need, like humans who smoke."

"Oh," was the only think I could think to say. I was surprised when Wufei stood, and opening the refrigerator, began to pull out an assortment of items.

I watched him move about the kitchen, silently wondering why he suddenly felt the need to cook when he had just told me he didn't need to eat.

"Because you need to eat," Wufei replied, not bothering to look at me as he skillfully chopped veggies into bite sized bits.

"Stop reading my mind," I snapped.

Wufei turned in surprise, a frown marring his features. "I wasn't. You were the one that decided to use other means to ask what I was doing."

"No, I didn't. I don't like the way it feels in my head."

My bewildered expression convinced Wufei of the sincerity of my words.

"And why are you so gung-ho about feeding me?"

Wufei's eyes narrowed. He set down the knife he had been using to slice veggies and just looked at me, as if I were a particularly dimwitted child.

"Did Heero tell you nothing?"

I snorted. "Basically it was, 'me big bad vampire king, you lowly human female, do as I say'. Supposedly I know everything I need to know in order to make a choice, but I'm not seeing any choice other than what Heero thinks is the correct choice," I muttered.

"He's an idiot," Wufei muttered. His eyes went unfocused for a brief moment, then with a sigh turned back to the stove. "Fine, fine, leave it all to me," he muttered to himself.

He began to talk as he added ingredients to the skillet.

"The vampire/Companion relationship can basically be explained as a give and take relationship. For the most part the energy flow is unconsciously done, but, like Heero demonstrated – in rather poor taste - the decision to give or pull power from the Companion can be made. And since you're still basically human, your metabolism has sped up, in an effort to stay on top of things, as it were."

"This if fine and dandy for explaining Duo, but not me. I'm not a Companion," I interrupted, only to be treated by a condescending look.

"You've two of the three steps completed, Relena. Stop hiding from the facts and face reality."

I could feel my blood pressure shoot up at that statement.

"You know, that's the second time I've been told to suck it up and live with it, and I'm getting tired of that attitude. I have only known Heero for four days now. I think I should be cut a little slack while I try to figure out what the hell is going on."

Wufei stopped what he was doing to turn and give me a reproachful look.

"That isn't what either of us said. Feel free to rant and cry if you want. It's a lot to deal with. And I know this wasn't the best way to approach you about it. But acting like a spoiled and petulant child won't help Heero right now."

I couldn't help but snort. "Heero doesn't need my help. He doesn't WANT my help. All I would do is get in his way and be a distraction."

Wufei cast his eyes heavenward, muttering something under his breath. Stepping away from the stove, he made his way over to the table, placing both palms on the table top and leaning towards me.

"You are a distraction to him right now. He's worried about how you'll react to everything, so he's trying to walk on eggshells around you and make everything perfect. Except things keep happening outside of his control so he can't handle it as he should because he's running around cleaning up messes. Duo, Trowa and myself are worried how you'll react, and how Heero will react, so we're walking on eggshells around you both. And that distracts us from making sure another attempt against Heero doesn't succeed. So we're going to do everything we can to get you to understand the situation as fast as possible, even if that means tossing you in the deep end and hoping like hell you're a good swimmer."

It was delivered so matter of factly that I stopped to actually consider the havoc that was being wreaked not only on my life, but those around me.

"I...I don't know what to do, Wufei," I whispered, eyes cast down to stare at the wood grain of the table. I also couldn't believe Wufei was the one I was having this talk with. "The Heero I met was wonderful, and I could almost say I'd agree to this with little hesitation. But there's this new Heero, who's a total jerk. I won't be someone's toy. I am my own person, and I have plans and goals for my life. I won't change everything for someone who can't let me be myself."

A plate of food was placed before me, and I looked up to find Wufei settling into the seat across from me.

"You have to understand, Relena, in our world, Heero's word is law. As two of his advisors, Trowa and I have some leeway but we can't go against a direct order," Wufei sighed, tugging on his ponytail. "As his Companions, you and Duo have some leeway as well. Heero can be that man you first met. But," here he raised a finger in warning, "there are times when he has to be King, and that means acting with all of his power and expecting obedience. You'll both have a fine line to walk."

Silence passed between us as I tasted my food and thought over his words. "It's very good," I said, privately wondering how a vampire could cook so well.

"Practice," Wufei smiled, ignoring my glare.

"Woman, if you don't want us hearing your thoughts, stop thinking so loudly and learn to shield. Please, please learn to shield," Wufei smiled, taking the sting out of his words. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take Duo some food."

He was almost out the door before I gathered the courage to ask what I figured was probably a very personal question.

"Wufei?"

He stopped with his back to me, head slightly turned to the side.

"Do you have a Companion?"

What I could see of his face hardened into something that was frightening.

"No."

* * *

Alone with my thoughts, I carefully considered everything Wufei had said - and the things Heero had tried to say. Could I do this? What would happen if we grew tired of each other? And what about Duo? Could Heero have two Companions at once?

There was too much of this new world I didn't understand and I didn't know who I could talk to about it that could give an as unbiased opinion as possible about everything. My thoughts anything but decisive, I decided to wait until I could sit down and talk with both of them.

It was now nearing midnight as I sat on the couch, idly flipping through the TV channels. I had seen neither hide nor hair of Duo or Wufei, and I was beginning to wonder when Heero and Trowa would be home, and exactly what type of business had them out this late. Was this even late for vampires? Or was it the equivalent of a breakfast meeting? The mental picture of how a breakfast meeting for vampires would go had me both shuddering and giggling at the ridiculousness of it. My attempts to text Quatre had been futile as well. Not that I could have told him any of this, but having someone to talk to would have been nice.

The more I thought about my current situation, the more intrigued I became. To live hundreds of years, seeing all of the advances in technology that humans would discover. To maybe one day live in an era where space travel was the norm. To see diseases eradicated and the arts of healing honed to the point lives would not needlessly be lost.

It was very tempting.

Add Heero to the mix, and the intensity between us, and, well...

It was extremely tempting. But would it last?

I would not rush into anything, I promised myself. I would give myself the luxury to think over every consequence, to talk not only with Heero and Duo, but with other vampires, and their Companions. What was it like to watch all that was familiar fall away with the changes of time? It wouldn't be all roses and sunshine, I cautioned myself, then laughed. Very little sunshine, as far as the vampires were concerned.

Amused with myself, I felt my smile fall a bit as a car came up the drive. That would be Heero, which meant it was time to see if I could do this or not. A second car came into view, and a feeling of dread swept over me.

Squaring my shoulders, I consciously reached out to Heero. I was afraid that I wouldn't know how to intentionally communicate mind to mind, but it felt as if something just clicked into place, and I knew without being told how to 'speak' with Heero.

/Heero?/

Nothing. Okay, I'm feeling a bit stupid now. Maybe I wasn't talking with him at all and just thinking his name in my head?

/Heero?/

A faint flicker caught my attention, and I tried one more time.

/HEERO!/

/HEERO/

/HEERO/

My attention snapped back to my surroundings with the blow to my cheek. I opened eyes I didn't remember closing to find Wufei gripping my arms, dark eyes full of concern. "Relena..."

"I can't feel him, Wufei. I tried to talk to him, but I can't get him to answer. Why isn't he answering?!" I wrenched myself out of Wufei's grasp, my breathing hard and loud in the silence.

"Something's wrong," I whispered, my eyes closing in fear when Wufei nodded acknowledgment. He had known, then, that there was a problem. Would I always be one step behind?

The sound of the door leading into the house from the garage being slammed open galvanized Wufei and me into action. Wufei led the way, quickly leaving me behind as he moved with supernatural speed.

My vision narrowed into a tunnel as we ran into the kitchen. The man from the other night, Zechs, stood there, practically carrying a barely conscious Heero into the house. One of Heero's arms was thrown about the other man's neck, and Zechs had a supporting arm at Heero's waist. His other arm was hanging at his side, bent at an unnatural angle. Heero was making an effort to walk, but he was unable to fully lift each foot.

"Heero," I whispered, and started forward.

Wufei was already there, barking out questions to Zechs and trying to guide the two men down the hallway and to the stairs when he caught sight of me.

"Help get Trowa into the house and to his room, then come to Heero's room. I'm going to need your help."

With that he was gone, helping to carry Heero between himself and Zechs. I turned back to the door, determined to do my task.

"I will not cry," I whispered, hastily blinking as the sound of footsteps echoed closer.

Their voices reached me before I could see either of them, and I stopped, eyes going wide in disbelief and any thought of crying gone.

"Trowa, must you work out so often? You're hard to handle when you're practically dead weight," the exasperation in the voice I knew so well had me shaking my head, wanting to deny what I was about to see.

"S...sorry," Trowa's voice, soft and full of pain. "Must...tell..." the painful gasp had the other voice chiding the injured man for trying to speak.

"Whatever it is, you can tell me later," Trowa was assured, and then the two men stepped into the kitchen.

I squared my shoulders, determined to deal with this rationally.

"He's trying to tell you about me," I said.

Blue eyes widened in shock.

"Relena?"

I nodded, stepping forward to help take some of Trowa's weight.

"Hello, Quatre."


	11. Chapter 11

Dark World

Chapter 10

By: Lady Saffir

Rating: PG/PG-13

DISCLAIMER: I unfortunately don't own the characters associated with Gundam Wing. Believe me - the story-line would have had much more kissing had I any say. :)

"There are two things a person should never be angry at, what they can help, and what they cannot." Plato

* * *

It took ten excruciating minutes to get Trowa into the house, up the stairs, and into his room. Quatre and I argued the entire way.

"Relena, what are you doing here?" Quatre had demanded to know immediately upon seeing me, almost dropping Trowa in shock.

"Washing my hair, what does it look like," I had snapped back, trying to assess how badly hurt Trowa was, and if there was anything I could do about it.

/I'll...live/ Trowa whispered in my mind, even his mental voice sounding hurt and full of pain.

"Ha!" I exclaimed, maneuvering around a large potted plant. "You might live, but right now you look like shit. Stop talking and focus on healing, Trowa," I ordered, reaching out to grasp the knob to his bedroom.

Quatre glared at the taller man. "You knew she was my friend, and you didn't think to perhaps mention this. Or did Heero forbid you from telling me?" he growled.

By this point we had reached Trowa's bed, and we both shoved Trowa onto it, turning to glare at each other, ignoring the hiss of pain that floated up to our ears.

"Don't you dare to act all high and mighty," I hissed, stepping forward to poke Quatre in the chest. "You've kept secrets from me, so don't act shocked and hurt when someone does it to you."

Quatre grabbed my wrist, yanking me close to him. "How many steps, Relena? How many steps have you taken and with whom?"

I could only stare up in shock at my friend. This was a side of Quatre I had never seen. His eyes, usually so warm and friendly, were now like ice, his voice a sharp edge that made me want to flinch back for fear of being hurt.

"Who is it?" Quatre pushed.

"Who do you think? Of course it's Heero," I snapped.

"How many steps?"

"Two," I answered defiantly, primed and ready to have an all out fight with Quatre.

My answer shocked Quatre back into himself, and with a sigh he leaned down to place his forehead against mine.

"Oh, Relena," he whispered. "This isn't how I meant for it to be."

/Relena! I need you now!/ Wufei yelled, causing me to whirl and bolt for the door. Quatre's hand on my arm stopped me, and I spun around, slapping at the restraining limb.

"Let me go! Heero needs me!" I pulled out of Quatre's grasp, slipping through the door and running full speed down the hall to where Heero lay.

Quatre turned back to the bed that held his wounded friend, unbuttoning his sleeve as he approached.

"You have a lot of explaining to do," he said, offering his wrist to the injured man. "But first," Quatre winced at the feeling of teeth none too gently breaking the skin, "we need to get you healed."

I flew into Heero's room, which was oddly quiet, considering the circumstances. Duo was already there, at Heero's side, helping Wufei hold Heero down as he thrashed about the bed. As I stepped up to the bed I couldn't help the gasp that escaped. Heero's chest was riddled with what had to be bullet holes, intermittently splayed open with what looked like knife wounds. His arms were criss-crossed with more knife slashes, deep bruising already beginning to spread about his body like a patch work quilt. His face was undamaged but held sheen of sweat, eyes closed with a fierce grimace etched into his features.

"Heero?"

At the sound of my voice Heero stilled, then surged against his captor's arms. He launched himself from the bed at me, the force of his body hitting mine sending us to the floor in a rush that left me winded. My head bounced off the floor, dazing me, then sharp and sudden pain exploded in my neck, as Heero bit down with a fierceness that brought a short scream to my lips. I closed my eyes at the pain, soft whimpers escaping every few seconds.

My hands flailed about, searching for something to hold on to. Someone's hand grabbed my own, causing my eyes to open as I stared into Duo's worried face.

"It'll be okay, Relena," Duo promised, tightening his grip. "We won't let him go too far, just enough to heal."

"What?" I managed to gasp.

"He needs blood to heal, Relena, more than any one person can provide and live," Wufei explained, his head popping up over Duo's shoulder. I felt his fingers on my wrist, monitoring my pulse, which I could feel wildly beating in my chest. "After Heero feeds from you he'll feed from Duo and start healing himself."

"Then we'll both sleep with him and by tomorrow night he'll hopefully be healed," Duo added, causing my heart to lurch before resuming its mad race.

"What?!"

"Idiot," Wufei growled at Duo. "You'll actually sleep, Relena, not have sex. Touching our Companions helps us to heal while we sleep through the day. Admittedly, the more skin touching the better, but you'll have clothes on, I promise."

A thread of nausea wove through my stomach.

"I think I'm going to be sick," I whispered, bringing up one hand to push ineffectually at Heero's shoulder. He didn't budge, and I turned to Duo, rapidly blinking to try and keep him in focus.

I could distantly hear Duo and Wufei trying to catch Heero's attention to make him stop, but it was all background noise to me, my whole focus on Heero's mouth were he pulled at the skin of my neck, each swallow bringing the darkness one step further.

"Heero," I whispered, my hand falling limply from his shoulder.

/Heero/

My thoughts became hazy; the only concern I could focus and hold on to was that the man above me would be all right.

/Heero/

I felt myself begin to slip into the waiting darkness, when a slim hand reached down and pulled me back.

/Heero?/

/Relena/ Fear and relief threaded through his voice. /Fool. Why did you come in here?/

/Because I love you/

I distantly felt someone pick me up and gently deposit me on the bed in a sitting position, someone behind me to help keep me upright. I felt the lip of a glass touch my mouth, and squeezed my lips together, not wanting anything to drink with my stomach still churning.

/Relena, you need to drink this/ Wufei's voice was full of worry, pulling me back to myself.

/Why/ I thought, only half interested. My thoughts were loose and flying about my head, and the mental image of little notes of paper whizzing about made me giggle.

/RELENA/

/Don't yell/ I thought irritably. /And why are we talking like this? I hate talking like this, it feels weird in my head/ Confident I had made a point, I nodded sharply, almost tumbling forward, only to be caught by strong arms.

/Because you aren't able to form a coherent sentence at the moment/ came Wufei's reply. /Stop trying to move around, open your mouth and drink/

/Drink, Relena/ Heero's command was strong, and I found myself opening my mouth and swallowing the vile mixture that was poured down my throat. I sputtered as I swallowed, cursing.

/This tastes like shit. Find whoever made it and tell them they need a strawberry flavor/ I hmmmmed at the thought of strawberries, letting my head fall back against a strong chest. I mmmmed again, snuggling myself back more firmly against whoever held me.

/You feel good/ I told the body, enjoying the warmth emanating from the arms wrapped around me.

/Thanks/ came Duo's amused reply.

I tried to swim up out of the murkiness that fogged my brain.

/Where's Heero? And why am I drunk. Am I drunk? I've never been drunk before. Is this what it feels like? I shouldn't be drunk; I haven't had anything to drink. Besides, I'm not legal yet/ I reasoned, trying in vain to open my eyes.

/You aren't drunk, and your secret's safe with us. When is your birthday?/

/Hmmm? Oh, um...September 25th. I think/

I could feel Duo's amusement. /We'll get you good and blitzed for your twenty-first birthday, but I promise that right now you aren't drunk. You're just feeling the effects of large blood loss./

/Plus I slipped you something in your drink/ Wufei added.

/Damnit! Oh, hell, who cares. Where's Heero. He's hurt, you know. He should be in bed. Mmmmmmm...Heero.../

/Stop!/

/Don't think those thoughts, for the love of god, Relena/

Wufei and Duo's voices crashed into my head, causing me to try and slap both hands to my ears. I missed, and smacked Duo in the face instead.

/Oops/ I giggled, crashing back against Duo's chest. /Sorry. Where's Heero?/

/She's like a dog with a bone/ Wufei huffed.

/'M not, just worried. He's hurt/ I reiterated. /And old. Not good to deal with so much when you're his age/

/I'm not quite ready for the nursing home just yet, Relena/ Heero whispered through my head, his voice making me smile in response. /I wanted to check on Trowa, and now I'm getting your pajamas/

/Pajamas? Why? Is it bedtime already?/

I felt slip Duo slip from behind me, and I shivered once from the cold before another warm body was behind me.

/Heero/ I sighed, snuggling back into him.

/Yes. Time to get into your pajamas, Relena/

/Wait. Duo/

/He's in the bathroom changing into his own/

Heero's words took any resistance I might have had, and I felt the comforting feel of my cotton tank and shorts slide on. I felt myself being pulled under the covers; Heero's weight a comforting presence behind me. A moment later I felt the bed dip again.

/Duo/

/Right here, babe/ I felt Duo's hand pat my arm, and I snuggled back down into Heero, the oddness of the sleeping arrangements barely pricking my discomfort.

/It's for tonight. We all have much healing to do/ Heero assured me, wrapping an arm around my waist.

/Kay/

I drifted off to sleep, not hearing Heero's next words.

/I love you, too/


	12. Chapter 12

Dark World

Chapter 11

By: Lady Saffir

Rating: PG/PG-13

DISCLAIMER: I own no rights to the GW universe.

AN: I'm on vacation till Wednesday, and the next two chapters need some minor to major tweaking, so probably Thursday at the earliest for the next chapter.

Time frame: Wednesday afternoon.

Talking. So much talking….it's Duo, so why am I surprised?

* * *

I woke the next day with what I imagined a hangover must feel like. The bedside clock said it was two and I wondered if I had slept a day and a half away. I remembered Heero explaining his world to me and the state he and Trowa had come home. I remembered arguing with Quatre and going to help Wufei. I remembered…my thoughts faltered, looking over at the sleeping man next to me. I remembered Heero's attack, the pain in my neck being almost unbearable.

From there though everything was hazy. There were snippets of conversation that teased the edge of my memory. What had happened after? I thought I remembered Duo donating blood as well, and all of us going to bed. I felt like something important had been said or done, though I couldn't recall what, exactly.

I rolled over, curling into Heero's side, trying to find a comfortable position to go back to sleep and hopefully wake up feeling better. My stomach had other ideas though. After just a few minutes the growling was quite audible, making me glad Heero was asleep and no one else was around to hear the sound.

Giving up on sleep, I stood, my head throbbing in time with my heart beat. The world swam for a moment and I sat down hastily.

/Duo?/

/Hey Relena. How you feeling?/ Duo's voice was subdued for him, making me think he felt just as bad as I did.

/Like I was run over by a truck and dragged for several miles. You?/

/…Yeah, that's about how I feel. Hungry?/

/YES/

/Come on down. Wufei left us a bunch of food./

I tried to stand again, gritting my teeth when the world spun crazily.

/I don't think I can make it down the stairs. I can't even stand/ I confessed, giving up and laying back down on the bed.

He didn't answer but a few minutes later the bedroom door opened, admitting Duo. He had a tray of food, making my mouth water.

"Come on, princess, let's get you up and some food into you. You'll feel better, I promise. "

We ended up sitting on the edge of the bed, me leaning on Duo as I practically inhaled the ham and turkey sandwich he had brought me. That and the orange juice had me feeling steadier about half an hour later. I went into the bathroom, intent on showering before going downstairs to eat more food. I hesitantly approached the mirror, afraid of what my neck would look like. My initial quick glance had me relaxing. Instead of the large hickey I had been expecting there was only the faintest hint of a bruise. Relieved, I looked up, shock coming from an unexpected direction.

My cheek bones were more prominent, making my eyes look larger. There were dark shadows under my eyes and my hair looked limp and dull. What other changes had happened, I wondered, stripping out of my clothes quickly. I surveyed my body, taking in all of the drastic changes, a short cry escaping my lips.

I had always been slender, in part to good genes and a religious workout routine including yoga. Now though, my clavicles were more pronounced and it was easy to see the outline of my ribs. My hip bones were also protruding.

What had happened to me?

A knock on the door brought me back to myself.

"Relena? What's wrong?"

I hastily threw a towel about myself before opening the door to Duo's concerned face.

Duo did a quick survey of the bathroom before focusing on my face. "What's wrong? You see a mouse or something?"

I ignored his attempt at humor. "I…I seem to have lost a lot of weight," I stammered.

Duo winced, leaning against the doorframe. "Me too. You learn to keep a spare set of clothes around a few sizes smaller. Doesn't happen often but you never know."

I took a few deep breathes, trying to keep from screaming. Why did everyone here drop life shattering bombshells like it was an everyday occurrence? Next they were going to tell me that following the laws of gravity was optional around here too.

"Duo," I began slowly, "if everyone doesn't stop acting surprised that I find something surprising, I will NOT be responsible for what happens. Do you understand?"

"Ah, sure, Relena." Duo took a step back, eyeing me like one might look at an approaching lion. "You're just doing so well adjusting we forget. Um…why don't you take a nice long shower then we can get something else to eat and maybe head back to bed. "

I shut the door on Duo's face, not believing for an instant that I was handling things well. I kept feeling like I was missing part of the puzzle that would make sense of what I was seeing, and everyone else could see the complete picture. What would it take for me to understand what constituted as 'normal' around here?

The monotonous sound of water cascading from the shower jets, coupled with the delicious warmth helped relax me. The stuffed cotton feeling in my head gradually disappeared, my sense of balance evening out once more. By the time I stepped out of the shower half an hour later I almost felt back to my old self.

I snuck a quick glance at where Heero lay on the bed before heading to his dresser. Heero was a slender man and I hoped his clothes wouldn't be too large on me. The gym shorts were baggy but I rolled the waist a few times, hunting through his t-shirts before finding a shirt for my alma mater. I gave Heero a quick kiss on the cheek before heading downstairs. I had every intention of eating quickly then going back to bed.

I walked into the kitchen to sunlight streaming through the windows and heavenly smells wafting through the air. The island was lost under the multiple plates laden down with everything from breakfast items to sandwiches. "Duo," I sighed, thinking there was no way the two of us could eat all of this in one sitting.

"Hey, Princess! Feeling better? Load up your plate and have a seat," Duo waved his fork in the general direction of the buffet, returning to his own food.

Smiling to myself, I piled my plate high with food, taking a seat across from Duo. We ate in companionable silence for a few minutes, before I couldn't take it any longer. I had too many questions, and right here was a person that was firmly embedded in the middle of everything. Maybe I could finally start getting answers to my myriad of questions.

"What's it like, Duo?" I asked, looking up to meet Duo's gaze. He tipped his chair back, balancing on the back legs with ease.

"Honestly, it's pretty boring, most of the time." At my skeptical look, Duo nodded. "It's true. For the most part everyone behaves themselves and we go about our daily lives. We go to work, pay the bills, hang out with friends. It's usually pretty normal around here."

"Go to work? What do you do?" I asked, privately snorting at the 'normal' part.

"I'm an engineer. I work for a division of Pilot Corporation. The R&D department, of course. Man, you should see some of the stuff I've come up with. I amaze even myself sometimes," Duo whistled, winking at me.

"R&D?" I questioned.

"Research and Development. You wouldn't believe some of the crazy stuff the government wants."

"But doesn't Heero own Pilot Corporation?" I asked.

"Well, technically we all do, but he has the majority share. That makes it really easy when I have to take several days off because of him. Like right now, I'm supposedly out with a nasty case of late season flu." Duo winked at me. "And how did you know Heero owns the company - you a gold digger, princess?" Duo teased, breaking a roll in half and handing it to me.

"Hardly," I replied dryly. "Quatre," I took a deep breath. "Quatre told me when I told him I had met Heero."

The legs of Duo's chair thumped down, his face suddenly serious.

"I was wondering when we'd get to this talk," he sighed. "As soon as I saw that picture of you and Quatre I knew we'd have problems."

"Is he Trowa's Companion?" I asked, afraid of the answer. If it was no, our friendship should be okay, eventually. But if he was Trowa's Companion and hadn't said anything….I didn't know what I would do. That level of deception would be too much. I was slowly shredding the roll to pieces, the pile of bread crumbs quickly forming a pyramid on my plate.

Duo's hand covered my own, giving it a quick squeeze. "Nope, not Trowa's Companion. He's actually Zechs' Companion," he answered, anticipating my next question.

"Zechs? The man that saved me the other night? How – nevermind, I'll ask Quatre later," I muttered. That line of thought was still fresh and painful, so I moved on to the next topic. I was afraid of the answers I would get to these questions as well, but they needed asked and answered.

"I know I should probably be asking Heero all of these questions but I want the full answers, not the answers he thinks will get me to agree with him," I started.

"And what makes you think I'll give you the full answer? I am Heero's Companion. Doesn't that make me a bit biased?"

I nodded to acknowledge Duo's point. "If it was someone else, maybe. But you told me the other day you never tell a lie and from what I've seen, you stick to that. So," I took a deep breath, jumping into the deep end that Wufei had spoken of. "Just how difficult is to be a Companion and have a normal life?"

"Sure, start with the hard question," Duo sighed. "For most Companions, there isn't that big of a difference between pre-Companion life and being a Companion. The more power a vampire has, however, the more challenging it is."

"What does that mean for us?" I asked.

Duo shrugged helplessly. "Heero's King, Relena. He's the most powerful vampire in the world. Our lives are fairly normal until there's a crisis. Then Heero needs all of his resources available to him and our wants and needs come second."

"How often is there a crisis?"

"Eh, about every century. Some idiot with delusions of grandeur decides he could be a better King than Heero and tries to attack. Heero destroys them so utterly the rest of the morons decide they don't want the position that badly and go scurrying back to the shadows till the next time. But," Duo continued, "you have to understand, Heero – and by extension us – is constantly under scrutiny. When we're out in public, we have to maintain our public personas. And you, especially, will have to do it on two fronts. When the world finds out Heero Yuy, prominent business man, has a significant other, life is going to get interesting."

"Ugh," I groaned, letting my head fall back against the chair. "I didn't even think of that. Can't I just stay Relena Peacecraft, college student?" I pleaded.

"We'll keep it secret as long as we can, Relena, but the most we can probably get you is a few months."

"Ugh," I repeated. There was silence for a few moments as we each refilled our plates. Looking at all the food before us made me wonder. "What is your monthly grocery bill?" I blurted out, wincing at the rudeness of the question.

Duo laughed, winking at me. "You should see the monthly alcohol bill. And come on, Relena, I know you have more questions than that. Spit'em out."

"STOP-"

"Whoa, whoa, hold it right there," Duo held up both hands in surrender. "I wasn't reading your mind. Anyone would have questions, that's all I meant. Though to be fair, you tend to think very loudly. We can't help what we hear anymore than if you'd said it aloud."

"Sorry. It just drives me crazy that Heero's constantly snooping," I explained.

"I know. And I've told him to cut that shit out. But – and I will deny having ever said this – I really do think that Heero's afraid of saying or doing the wrong thing," Duo explained. "I wasn't exaggerating the other night when I said Heero has almost zero relationship experience. I wasn't kidding either when I said I wished you could see the pre-Relena Heero."

"How do I know if this is the right thing to do?" My voice was so soft I was afraid Duo hadn't heard me for a moment. I finally gathered the courage to look at him, only to be given an indecisive shrug.

"It's a gut feeling, Relena. For what it's worth, my gut says you two would be very good together. Of course, it could also being saying that I've eaten too much food, but I don't think that's it. Make him sit down and talk with you," Duo ordered.

I couldn't help but laugh, the sound dying as the front door was slammed open, then shut.

"And speaking of talking, there's someone I want you to meet."

Duo jumped out of his chair, heading to the doorway. I rose to follow, noting that he still had a slight limp in the leg I had injured. I was barely around the table when a petite dark haired woman burst into the room, launching herself at Duo, her mouth running a mile a minute.

"Duo! You're alright - right? Sally said you'd be hurt. How badly did that bitch hurt you? When I see her I'm going to give her a piece of my mind. In fact -"

Duo swung the ranting woman into his arms, laying a kiss on her that had me blushing and averting my eyes. Wait - did she just call me a bitch? Who was this woman?

When Duo finally surfaced for air, he laughed, turning the woman in his arms around to face me.

"Relena, I'd like you to meet Hilde, the love of my life, and Sally's Companion. She-"

Hilde leapt at me, slamming me into the fridge, my head bouncing against the handle.

"Ow..."

"You! I don't know what your problem is, bitch," Hilde spat, her eyes dark with fury. "But if you think-"

"Hilde! That's enough. Let Relena go - now."

Both of us ignored Duo, glaring at each other. I brought my arms up to Hilde's shoulders and shoved, hard enough to have her falling back a few steps. Hilde's eyes narrowed and she moved to step forward, abruptly stopping when Duo wrapped his arms around her and hauled her back a few feet.

"Stop it, Hilde. Don't touch Relena again. If I don't blame her for what she did the other day, neither should you."

Shooting me one more glare, Hilde sighed, then settled back against Duo.

"Fine. But I don't have to like you," she added, pointing at me.

Tamping down the urge to stick my tongue out, I returned to the table, picking at my food, no longer hungry. Duo and Hilde joined me, the tense silence making me hunch my shoulders. Duo tried to carry on a conversation, but I refused to answer in anything more than one syllable, and Hilde kept trying to throw little barbs and insults at me.

Unable to take the silence, I stood, taking my plate to the dishwasher. I could feel Duo's gaze on my back, but I ignored him, skirting around the table and making sure to stay well out of Hilde's reach. I'm sure my breathing would piss her off and she'd attack me again, and it wasn't a scene I felt like repeating. I was at the threshold when Duo finally spoke.

"Relena, you really need to eat more," he admonished. "Why don't you take a plate up with you, in case you get hungry?"

"I know, Duo, but I just…can't, right now," I stuttered over my reply, not wanting to let him know the 'love of his life' was the reason my appetite was off. I wasn't up to dealing with anything right now more pressing than sleep, and Hilde's intense dislike of me was more than I could bear.

"What, afraid you'll lose your girlish figure?" Hilde scoffed, breaking into the conversation. "Are you one of those modern girls that think being anorexic is the only way to be attractive? Pathetic," she sneered.

My temper was quickly reaching the boiling point.

"I couldn't care less what anyone thinks of my appearance - I'm content to be myself. Clearly you have issues, though," I retorted, enjoying the flush that crossed the other woman's features.

Hilde stood, shoving her chair back in a loud scrape.

"Is there something you want to say to me?" she growled, hands balling into fists.

"Ladies, ladies, er..." Duo trailed off as we both turned to glare at him.

"Shut up, Duo," we both snarled, turning back to glare at each other.

"Don't talk to him like that," Hilde snapped, causing me to snort.

"I'll talk to him however I wish. What are you going to do to stop me?" I taunted, moving clear of the doorway.

"Alright, little girl," was as far as Hilde got before I howled in rage.

"I am sick and tired of people calling me 'little girl'!" I yelled. I was about to leap at Hilde when strong arms wrapped around me from behind, pinning my arms at my sides and keeping me immobile.

"Let me go, Heero," I ordered, recognizing the feel of his body at my back. I craned my head back, meeting Heero's steady gaze.

"That's enough."

Duo, chuckling, got up and went to Hilde, unexpectedly slinging her over his shoulder, ignoring her stream of curses.

"Come on, babe, I have the perfect way for you to work out all that aggression," Duo said cheerfully, tossing a wave over his shoulder as he passed out of the kitchen.

"Let me go, Heero," I commanded, once again being ignored.

"Hn. Duo has the right idea," Heero remarked, slinging me over his shoulder so that my world consisted of an upside down view of Heero's legs.

"Damnit, Heero, I'm not going to have sex with you," I protested, taking aim and landing a solid kidney shot. Heero simply continued walking, my blows doing nothing to faze him. He continued up the stairs, coming to a halt about halfway up.

"Catherine," he acknowledged, causing me to twist around and see a woman with short reddish-brown hair stopped on the stairs.

"Heero," she greeted, tilting her head to the side to take me in. "And you must be Relena. I can't wait to get to know you," she smiled, making me groan and let my head flop back down. Great, one person that seems nice and I meet her like this.

"We'll see you at dinner. I'd stay away from Duo's room," Heero warned, continuing up the stairs as if this were an everyday occurrence.

"Thanks for the warning!" floated up the stairs after us.

"Heero," I sighed, not struggling anymore as he continued to carry me down the hall. We reached his room, and I was deposited gently on the bed, Heero crawling in after me. The smirk on his face had me holding out a hand in warning.

"Heero, I meant it. I am not going to have sex with you right now," I reiterated.

Heero wrapped me in his arms, rolling over and pulling me against him. The covers were pulled up and tucked under my chin, and I felt Heero settle behind me with a sigh.

"Heero?" I twisted my head around to look over my shoulder.

No answer.

"Heero..."

Was he snoring?

/HEERO!/

One blue eye cracked open to glare at me.

/Relena, it's three in the afternoon. The sun is up, I'm exhausted, and while I may look healed, I'm still not at full strength. The only thing I plan on doing until sunset is sleeping, and I had planned on you being here beside me/

/Go to sleep, Relena/

I felt myself being dragged under, the darkness swirling up to wrap around my brain.

/You're bossy/ I murmured.

/It's good to be the king/ Heero replied solemnly.

I managed a snort of laughter, then sleep claimed me.


	13. Chapter 13

Dark world

Chapter 12

By: Lady Saffir

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any characters associated with Gundam Wing.

Look! Here comes a helpful character!

"Falling in love with someone isn't always going to be easy... Anger... tears... laughter… It's when you want to be together despite it all. That's when you truly love another. I'm sure of it." Unknown

* * *

Three hours later I was heading back down the stairs, worried about the change in Heero's behavior. I had woken with the intention of cuddling against Heero for a bit and perhaps talking about our situation, only to find myself alone in the large bed. A quick search hadn't turned up the wayward vampire king, and my mental questioning had only been answered with a terse, /I'm fine/. What had happened now, I wondered.

I walked into the kitchen, following my nose, expecting to find Duo manning the stove again, but I pulled up short as I realized it was the woman Heero had called Catherine. She turned around, catching sight of me, and smiled, walking forward with her arm extended.

"Hello! I'm so glad to finally meet you!" She exclaimed, gripping my hand tightly in her own before pulling me into a quick hug. "Trowa's told me so much about you. Oh - I'm sorry! I haven't properly introduced myself. My name is Catherine Bloom, but everyone calls me Cathy. I'm Trowa's Companion," she smiled, turning back to stir something on the stove. "Relena - may I call you Relena? - do you like stir-fry? It's one of Duo's favorites, but I forgot to ask if you liked it as well."

The chatterbox at the stove continued to talk, and I felt like my head was spinning. Well, at least there was another woman in the house.

"Oh, I'm so glad there's finally another woman in the house. All that testosterone can make you feel like you're drowning," Cathy lamented, moving a large wok off the stove and onto a trivet.

I mentally groaned. What was it with these people and reading other people's minds? "You know, it's really rude to read someone else's mind without their permission," I stated, watching in consternation as Cathy's mouth fell open.

"Read your mind? Relena, I can't read your mind."

It was my turn to stare.

"Then how did you know I was thinking that exact thing?" I questioned.

Cathy narrowed her eyes, tilting her head sideways to regard me.

"Relena," she began slowly, "why haven't you started reading your book?"

I wasn't even able to begin to ask what book she was talking about, when Cathy grabbed my arm and started pulling me down the hall. In short order I found myself in Cathy's room, sitting on the bed while she rooted around in a box full of books.

"Cathy, what - " I was interrupted by the woman before me standing up, flourishing a small, nondescript book.

"Here it is - 'A Companion's Guide'. It's the third edition, so it's about two hundred years out of date, but it's the most recent one," Cathy explained, handing the book to me. "I can't believe Heero didn't give you a copy to read. For that matter," she frowned, "any of them should have remembered to give you a copy."

"We've been a little pre-occupied," I replied dryly.

I opened the book to find myself confronted with archaic spelling. Cathy correctly guessed the reason for my frown, flopping down on the bed next to me and tapping the page with a fingernail.

"I keep telling Heero he needs to update the book for today, but getting vampires to consider two hundred years as 'outdated' takes a lot of work," she winked, standing up and stretching. "But I'm sure if you said something to him, that book would be updated in a week. Well, let's get back downstairs and have some dinner!"

I found myself being once more pulled along, feeling my temper beginning to rise.

* * *

Heero walked into the kitchen and a book being flung in his face. He unfortunately caught the tome an inch from his nose, so I didn't have the satisfaction of watching it smack into his face.

"A book, Heero? A book about being a Companion? Did it not occur to you that this might be something I'd like to know about?!" I pushed back from the table, intent on giving him a piece of my mind. Heero didn't answer but moved with startling speed, going down on one knee before me, his head bowed. All conversation stopped, six pairs of eyes focusing on the two of us.

"Heero?" I asked tentatively. All of my anger vanished, worry replacing it. "Heero, what is it? What's wrong?"

"I have no right to ask it, but I beg your forgiveness," Heero's low voice floated up to me.

Startled at the words, I looked around, hoping for some help. The three humans in the room looked as confused as I felt. Wufei, Trowa and Sally were grim faced and silent. Resigned to no help from that corner, I looked down again at the man kneeling before me.

"Forgiveness? Why?"

Heero's head whipped up, his dark eyes widening. "Why? I attacked you last night, Relena."

"You were half dead, Heero. Would you have attacked me if you hadn't been so injured?" I asked gently.

"It doesn't matter," Heero shook his head violently, both hands clenched into tight fists. "I almost killed you, Relena." He bowed his head once more. "I understand if you want nothing else to do with me. I will release you as my Companion and make sure you are safe from harm."

I studied the dark head before me, trying to find some way to help Heero understand my feelings. How did I get him to see? We had only been together a short time, but I knew that there was no future for me without him. I knew what my eventual decision would be, I just wanted to give us more time to grow used to each other.

"You want my forgiveness?" The silence in the room was so absolute my voice, even soft, echoed.

A short nod was my only answer.

"No."

Heero's head whipped up, his face bleak. "Rele-"

The rest of the room was lost to the two of us as we stared at each other. Cathy's gasp and Wufei's muttered curse were distant sounds that held no bearing on the outcome of this talk.

I shook my head, reaching out to smooth Heero's bangs from his eyes. "Forgiveness can only be given if I am sorry for what occurred. I knew what would happen when I came into the room, Heero. It was the only way I could help, Heero, and I came willingly."

Heero shook his head, not wanting to accept my words. "Relena-"

"Enough," I ordered, catching his face in my hands, holding his gaze with my own. "I would do it again. I probably will do it again," I amended, smiling gently. "I accept that. Stop beating yourself up for what's in your nature."

Heero only bowed his head, placing it in my lap. I ran my fingers through his hair, switching to our mental communication. /I'm fine with what happened, Heero. Look through my head if that's what it will take to convince you of that. I'll do anything for you/ I paused for a moment, hoping the next thought wouldn't be too sudden. /I love you/

Heero looked up at that. His eyes were full of some dark emotion, and he captured my hands, placing kisses on the back of each hand.

"I would do anything for you. I will let the world burn before harm comes to you," he vowed. The absolute finality in his voice gave strength to his words.

Alarm tripped through me, making me fall to my knees before Heero as I grabbed his hands and tried to impart the seriousness of my words.

"No! No, Heero. Promise me, promise if something happens to me…" I trailed off, words failing me. He had to live. That would be my one consolation if I were to die.

/There is no you or I, anymore. There is only us/ Heero stated.

/Yes/ I agreed, relieved he felt as I did. I leaned in to Heero, taking comfort from the strength of his arms as they came about me. Our kiss was well on its way to making me forget we weren't alone when we were abruptly brought back to our surroundings with Duo's pointed, "Get a room, you two."

We both looked over to where everyone sat staring at us with varying looks on their faces. I knew my own face was turning a nice shade of red, and I risked a quick glance at Heero. His face was impassive, like we were discussing the weather.

"And before you two go all Romeo and Juliet on us, I'd like to remind you both, in the interest of self-preservation, that it's actually the three of us," Duo continued. "I'd really rather not die any time soon."

"Hn," was Heero's only answer. He helped me stand and picked up the book he had dropped earlier.

"Back to that book," I started.

He looked down at the book in question, then shrugged and pitched it into the trash.

"Hey!" I heard Cathy in exclaim in the background, getting up to retrieve her book. My eyes were for Heero though, as he stood there with a smirk on his face.

"That one is outdated," he explained, pulling a thumb drive from his pocket. "I thought you might like the more recent version."

"Ha!" Cathy popped up by my elbow. "Told you so, Relena." Her smirk and my blush had Heero arching an eyebrow.

"What did Catherine tell you, Relena?"

"Nothing," I replied hastily, taking the thumb drive from Heero. With a shrug she turned back to the table and began clearing the remains of our meal, looking up briefly to smile when Trowa moved to help her. I watched the tall man lean over Cathy's shoulder, saying something into her ear that had her blushing.

"Relena."

I couldn't help the shiver that went down my spine at the sound of Heero's voice. The way he said my name...a second shiver went down my spine. I raised my eyes to meet his gaze, and I fought to keep my voice steady.

"Yes, Heero?"

"What would you like to do tonight?" He reached out to brush a strand of hair from my shoulder.

Unbidden, the memories of our kiss and where it had been headed rose to the fore, making me blush once more and hope desperately that I wasn't unintentionally broadcasting these thoughts.

Heero's eyes darkened and he stepped closer to me, one finger trailing down my cheek. I sighed, leaning in to the light caress.

/I would love to do nothing more than keep you in my bed/ he whispered, even his mental voice making me tremble. /But it has occurred to me that I've kept you closed up in this house for several days. So I'm asking - where would you like to go tonight?/

I took a deliberate step back, taking a breath before answering.

"I'm not sure what else I'd like to do, but I do need to stop by my apartment," I answered. "I know I'll be staying here until everything is resolved, so I need to get more clothes, as well as my textbooks. And my fish," I added, beginning to ramble as Heero stalked me across the room. For every step I retreated, he was there, inches away, his eyes never leaving mine.

/And what, exactly, needs resolved?/ Heero questioned. My back abruptly hit a wall, eliciting a squeak from my throat. Heero leaned in, one hand pressed against the wall inches from my right ear. His nearness and intensity was causing my brain to scramble.

"Why, whoever's out to kill you," I replied.

/And is that ALL that needs resolved?/ Heero brought his right hand up, cupping my chin in his palm and angling my face towards his, his lips hard against mine. When we broke from the kiss I couldn't help the small sigh that escaped. I opened my eyes to meet his amused gaze.

"No, that isn't the only thing that needs resolved, but if you're dead the question of me becoming your Companion is a moot point, isn't it?" I reasoned, slipping to my left and turning to face Heero. He acknowledged my point with a curt nod, then abruptly turned and headed for the doorway.

"Heero?"

"Let me know when you're ready to leave," his voice floated back as he walked out the door.

/And I like your outfit/ his mental voice had me blushing as I realized I was still in his clothes.

* * *

The ride to my apartment was uneventful, Heero driving the roads as if he'd done this numerous times before. I decided not to ask how he knew where I lived. I had chosen to live further away from the downtown campus, wanting the peace and quiet of a residential neighborhood. As a result, when we pulled up to my apartment complex at eight o'clock, it was fairly quiet. Leading the way up two flights of stairs, I was surprised when Heero suddenly my grabbed my shoulder. I turned to ask what was the matter, but he was already past me, gun pulled (where had that come from?) and held at the ready. He silently crept up the remaining three stairs to my doorway, and crouching, quickly reached out and gave the door a quick shove. It opened silently, and that was my clue that something was seriously wrong.

I held myself tense for long seconds, watching Heero and waiting to act on his cue. He stood with a silent exhalation, the gun held loosely at his side. He disappeared into my apartment, the living room light flicking on after several seconds.

"Heero?"

"Come in here, Relena," Heero ordered, and I took the remaining stairs with a sense of dread growing ever stronger in my stomach. I crossed the threshold and couldn't stop the gasp that escaped.

Everything was ruined. The couch had been gutted, the stuffing strewn about the room. The coffee table and end tables were smashed, useless splinters of wood. Everything, every material possession I had was destroyed. It was methodical, and it had been carried out in every room. In the kitchen I found my Beta fish lying on the wood chopping block, filleted as if he were about to be cooked.

/Relena/

Heero's voice pulled me into my bedroom, and it wasn't until I was at his side and looking down at what he held that my mind was able to piece everything together. Photographs of my parents had been shredded, some ripped in half and others completely destroyed, becoming confetti to litter the floor.

"No," I whispered, reaching out to take one of the pieces from Heero, staring down at my mother's smiling face. My parents had been dead for five years, killed in a car wreck. These photos had been my only real reminder of the family I had lost. Wetness began to hit my hand, spattering on the photo, and I realized I was crying.

Heero gathered me into a tight embrace, one hand reaching up to stroke my hair. He didn't speak, but the feeling of comforting and love was strong in my mind. The flood gates opened, the strength of my response surprising even me.

I cried for my lost parents, the wound still fresh and tender after all these years. I cried for my fish, whose only crime had been being owned by me. Mostly though I cried for all the things that had happened in the past week, the stress and enormity of just what I was caught up in hitting me, making me suck in air as if I had been holding my breath under water for several minutes.

I cried for an untold time, sobbing helplessly while Heero simply held me. Finally, exhausted, I tilted my head back, giving him a watery smile. "Thanks," I whispered.

Heero nodded, brushing stray tears off of my face. Stepping back, he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and spent a moment searching for a number. Satisfied, he pushed the button to dial. I could hear someone pick up, but was unable to tell if the person was male or female.

"Treize, it's Heero. I need you and a team to come to this address." He rattled off my address, spending a minute to answer questions in short 'yes' or 'no's'. He hung up, turning back to me. "The police are on their way. We're to wait outside for them."

I nodded in agreement, picking my purse up from the floor as we headed back down the stairs. We sat in Heero's car in silence, before a thought occurred to me and had me reaching for my cell phone.

I could feel Heero's questioning gaze on me as I waited for the phone to be answered.

"Quatre's also my lawyer, Heero. He'll need to know about this, so he can get the paperwork started."

Quatre answered, the relief of seeing my number on the caller ID evident in his voice. "Relena. I'm so glad - "

"Quatre," I cut him off mid-sentence. "Quatre," I began again, my breath hitching. Unbidden, the thought of the destroyed photos came to mind, and I started to cry again.

Heero gently took the phone from my hand, speaking to Quatre in a quiet tone while I tried to calm myself. It took several moments but I was finally able to control my breathing, the tears once more slowing to a stop. Heero handed the phone back to me silently, and I nodded in thanks. A police cruiser and an unmarked car pulled into the parking, causing me to sit up straight and take a deep breath.

Heero and I exited his car, Heero immediately heading for a tall middle-aged man with sandy brown hair and bushy eyebrows.

"Treize," Heero nodded, reaching forward to shake the other man's hand briefly.

"Heero. And you are?" The man identified as Treize turned towards me, his eyes seeming to take in everything.

"Relena. Relena Peacecraft," I introduced myself.

"I'm sorry to meet you like this, Miss Peacecraft. I'm Treize Kushrenada, the Chief of Police."

I turned to stare at Heero in astonishment. "The Chief of Police. You called the Chief of Police for a break-in," I said slowly.

"Treize knows what I am," Heero stated. "He'll make sure no bothersome questions are asked."

I threw my hands up in the air. "Was I the last person to know about you?" I asked in disgust. It felt like I was surrounded by people who thought I was the crazy one for being surprised by a secret world. "That's it, I want a list of every single person in this town who either knows or is connected to...to all of this," I demanded, pointing at Heero.

Heero stepped forward, catching my hands within his own. "Done," he promised, kissing the back of each hand. "You'll have that list tomorrow."

Treize coughed, stepping towards the open stairwell door. "Miss Peacecraft, Heero, if you'd be so kind, we'll get this started," he motioned us to precede him up the stairs.

It was emotionally grueling, to watch the police go over my apartment with a fine tooth comb, their searches yielding new and unwelcome surprises every minute. All of my clothes had been shredded, my textbooks ripped apart. My file folder containing some of the more routine paperwork one always needs had been gleefully run through my shredder, and it looked as if someone had taken a sledgehammer to my laptop.

After an hour of watching my apartment be turned upside down and answering questions, Heero led me back to his car, opening the door so I could slide in, mentally exhausted. Heero slid behind the wheel, starting the car before turning to look at me.

"Do we need to stop somewhere and pick anything up?"

I shook my head, turning my head to stare out the window. I felt numb, the shock that someone could so utterly wreck my life like this a slap in the face.

Heero guided the car throughout the streets, barely paying attention to what he was doing. He was more pre-occupied with the woman seated next to him. Her silence hid the growing anger he could feel, as he sat, a silent shadow, in her mind.

He reached out for Trowa, waiting until he was sure he had the other man's attention before relaying his orders.

/I want everyone to make themselves scarce. We'll be home in fifteen minutes/

/What has happened?/

Heero gave his friend a concise report of what they had found at Relena's apartment.

/Hugh/

Heero nodded in agreement.

/I want to know where he is, who he's with at all times. I'm getting tired of dealing with his little surprises/ Heero hissed, hands clenching the steering wheel tightly. /Relena is still in shock over what we found, but when she's over that stage, the anger is going to hit hard and fast. That's why I want everyone to keep a low profile./

/You'll protect the rest of us and make yourself the only target she has, is that it?/

/Yes/

/You should really tell her that you love her/ Trowa recommended, then he was gone.

Heero sighed. Trowa always gave excellent advice, but at the moment he had more pressing matters to worry about. The gates blocking the drive loomed up in the darkness, and Heero sighed once more, mentally squaring his shoulders and preparing for the fight he was sure to come.


	14. Chapter 14

Dark World

Chapter 13

By: Lady Saffir

DISCLAIMER: I own no rights to the GW universe. I'm merely borrowing them to amuse myself.

"Every man is afraid of something. That's how you know he's in love with you; when he is afraid of losing you."

"I love you, and because I love you, I would sooner have you hate me for telling you the truth than adore me for telling you lies." Pietro Ariteno

"I have always argued that change becomes stressful and overwhelming only when you've lost any sense of the constancy of your life. You need firm ground to stand on. From there, you can deal with that change." Richard Nelson Bolles

* * *

We entered the house to find the silence that usually indicated a place to be empty.

"Where is everyone?" I asked, afraid some fresh emergency had erupted while we were gone. I wasn't sure how much more I could take today. So much had happened in the past twenty four hours that I needed to find a quiet place to unwind and process through everything.

I had a feeling that wouldn't be happening anytime soon.

"Duo and Wufei are at Sally's. Trowa and Catherine are upstairs in their room," Heero answered tersely. He headed toward the kitchen and I trailed after him, wondering why he was in a mood. It hadn't been his place that had been trashed, his life turned upside down.

I walked in to find that Heero had already poured himself a rather generous drink and had a glass of wine poured as well.

"The wine is for you," he answered my look.

"Thank you but-"

"Just take the drink, Relena. It won't kill you," Heero snapped, draining half of his glass in one swallow.

Heero's tone set my teeth on edge. What was his problem? He seemed to know everything, have an answer for any problem that arose. I was the one that felt like I was going under for the third time. I couldn't keep up and I was getting tired of trying.

"My problem is every time I turn around someone is trying to kill you and one day I won't be able to stop them in time," Heero snarled, setting his glass down with a crack.

"Stop snooping in my mind," I ordered. "Just because you can doesn't mean you should. Ever hear of the word privacy? Shall I find a dictionary and read the definition to you?"

Heero ignored my tone, swiftly crossing to my side. He gripped my arms with enough force to bruise. His eyes had darkened, his pupils dilated till the black almost obliterated the surrounding blue.

"I'm snooping because I'm trying to figure out what to say to get you to understand the severity of the situation, Relena. Hugh only has to get lucky once to kill you. I have to be perfect every time. I MUST keep you safe and the only chance I have of possibly doing that is making you a full Companion. What do I need to say to get you to agree to that?"

"Tell me the truth. Explain everything. Stop feeding me just enough information to get me to agree with you. Talk to me. Treat me like an equal," I pleaded. We were close enough in height that I had an excellent view of the refusal that crossed his face before he said the words.

"I can't."

I felt the tears spring into being, hating myself for them. I needed to stay calm and rational if I was going to convince Heero otherwise and tears would only choke me. I shook my head angrily, trying to banish them. "And why not?" I asked, hating that my voice sounded so pathetic.

Heero cursed, pushing away from me to stalk around the island. "I'm the King, Relena. You asking me to treat you as an equal in all things is tantamount to me declaring you Queen. No one will tolerate a human having that power over them. I must show them that I make the final decision in everything."

"I'm not asking you to let me make decisions about vampires," I argued. "I'm asking you…" I trailed off. How did I ask for him to simply be Heero? My Heero, the one I fell in love with?

"You're asking me to separate myself from my position, Relena, and I can't do that, not completely," Heero answered my unspoken thought.

"The others-"

"The others understand," Heero interrupted. "They know that everything I do has to be weighed against the greater good. They know when they can push and when they have to accept my word as law."

"You've all had time to adjust to each other," I finished for him. I wrapped my arms about myself. My thoughts headed in a new direction, one I didn't like at all. "Time is the one thing you have an almost unlimited amount of. So why are you rushing things with us? What aren't you telling me? Please, talk to me Heero," I begged.

We stared at each other. Heero was giving me a very good blank face. His eyebrows were slightly drawn together and that was my only indication he didn't like this conversation. I knew my face was an open book, every emotion on display. It was something all my friends teased me about, my inability to hide what I was thinking or feeling.

"I thought," I paused, feeling like a fool for bringing it up, "I thought this evening we understood each other, but now I wonder."

"We did. We do," Heero corrected himself. He was beside me in an instant, his grip on my hands almost numbing.

"Then talk to me. Who is Hugh? Why is he trying to kill me? How do you plan on stopping him?"

I could see Heero waging a battle with himself over what to tell me. I wanted to pure truth, not the Cliff Notes version I was sure he was going to try and feed me. If someone was out to kill me, I had a right to know why. /And I know you're still snooping in my head, so out with it/ I ordered. I was sick and tired of this conversation. I wanted it over and done with so we could move on, if we could move on.

"I told you what I would do to anyone that tried to harm you. Hugh will die, I promise you. Please, believe in me." Heero's voice, so sure in his ability to solve everything, broke a dam inside of me.

"What kind of world did you drag me into?" I asked. "What kind of life do you live, where you have to be ready to defend yourself at all times? Why me? Why am I still alive?" My questions were rapid-fire, my anxiety and fear climbing my throat, attempting to choke me into silence.

Heero stared down at me, his grip never loosening.

"Because I wanted you."

The stark truth hung between us, and it felt as if the world stopped, holding its breath. I could hardly believe my ears.

"You…wanted me," I parroted back. "You met me in aisle five and what, decided during check out you wanted me? Is that how it went?" Heero looked off to the side, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed.

"No." His voice was so low I strained to hear it even though I was less than a foot away.

"No," I repeated. A horrible fear was growing and Heero's actions were only fueling my belief it was the truth. I had to ask though, to know for certain.

"Our meeting wasn't an accident, was it?"

Heero only answered with a shake of his head. I needed distance between us, tugging on my hands until Heero released me. I walked over to where the wine glass sat forgotten on the counter. I picked it up and took a huge slug, choking on the foreign taste of alcohol. I took a smaller, steadier sip, turning to look at Heero. His back was to me, making it easier for me to ask my questions.

"And the park? Was that an accident? Or just a convenient way to bind me to you?"

My words had Heero turning to face me, his eyes steady on mine.

"An accident. I didn't expect Hugh to move that quickly," he admitted.

"And the garden?"

Heero's fist clenched. "I did that to save you. I could help you heal more quickly if I had completed the second step. It was for your own good."

I snorted. "Of course it was. And the fact that you got a meal out of it and more power had nothing to do with your decision," I held up a hand to stall his response. "Tell me, Heero, what was your original plan - how did you plan on talking me into becoming your Companion?"

Heero sighed, closing his eyes briefly before answering. "I was going to seduce you into it, make you fall in love with me."

The words hit my heart, and I had to close my eyes against the sting of tears that threatened.

"Well, you succeeded admirably," I choked out, and this time it was my turn to look away. "Yet you never said anything about loving me back," I whispered. I fell into a chair, cradling my head in my hands. /It was a lie then, this evening/

"Relena."

Heero's light touch on my arm had my head whipping up, and I was unable to hide the sheen of tears from him.

"Relena. Relena, listen to me." Heero knelt before me, his words coming rapidly. "I can provide for you. You'll never have to work if you don't want to. Or you can have any position you want in one of my companies - you can start your own, if you want. Relena -"

I stood abruptly, cutting Heero off, anger replacing my sorrow. "So, what? I'd be a kept woman, is that what you're saying?"

"Yes - no! That isn't what I meant," Heero scrambled to his feet, reaching one hand towards me. I flinched back, and the arm fell to his side.

"A little blood, the occasional sex, is that what would be my part of this bargain? Until you found someone else that interested you?" Heero turned his head down and away, and in the silence I felt a sharp pain lance through my heart.

The silence extended, and Heero finally brought his head up - to meet directly with the palm of my hand. The slap echoed through the room, both of us surprised by my action. I backed away, unable to stop the fall of tears.

"I won't be your mistress, Heero," I whispered. "It's all or nothing between us." I turned and ran for the door, passing through in a rush, not noticing the blonde man standing to the right of the doorway.

/I love you, but right now I hate you/

* * *

My thought floated back to Heero, and I missed the look of pain that crossed his features.

Zechs cast a thoughtful look at the door to the kitchen, before retreating back to Heero's office to wait for his sovereign.

/I believe your friend is in need of a shoulder to cry on/ he sent to his Companion. The angry response he received brought a smirk to his lips. It looked like this evening would prove more interesting than expected.

* * *

I ran blindly, uncaring as to where I ended up, only wanting to put as much distance between myself and Heero as possible. Spying a pair of French doors leading out onto the patio, I changed course, slamming into the doors with enough force to rattle the glass panes. I tugged at the door, unable to convince the latch to open and admit me to the outdoors. I gave up, kicking the door for good measure, before sliding to the floor, the tears falling hard and fast, blinding me to my surroundings.

Warm hands touched my shoulders, and I flinched, expecting to see Heero standing before me. I raised my head slowly, and sobbed in relief when I saw it was Quatre. Throwing myself into his arms, I wrapped my own around his neck, burying my face in his shoulder. I cried all the harder, so glad to have a familiar face near me, someone who had no designs on my person, who only wanted to be a friend.

Quatre lifted me gently into his arms, walking over to a couch to settle both of us comfortably. He said nothing, only holding me close and running a hand over my hair. It was some time before I settled, sniffling slightly and resting my head against his shoulder, my emotions having exhausted me.

"Feel better?" Quatre murmured, handing me several tissues.

"No," I said hoarsely, blowing my nose so that I could breathe easier.

"What happened?"

I recounted my evening, sorrow rising once more when I got to the part where I realized Heero's trickery. Fresh tears leaked out, and I scrubbed at them angrily. Damnit, I was tired of crying. Why couldn't I laugh for once?

"Quatre?"

"Hmm?"

"How long have you been a Companion?"

"Two years."

I raised an eyebrow at that. "What, not one thousand years or something equally insane?"

Quatre gave a brief smile at my small attempt at humor.

"No, only two. After all, Zechs is only one hundred years old himself. While he is powerful, he's nothing compared to Heero, or Trowa, or Wufei."

"How did you decide, Quatre? What made you want to do this?"

"There wasn't really any one thing that made me decide to become Zechs' Companion. It was more of a gut feeling, I guess you could say."

"You're the second person to say that, and that's no help," I sighed, punching him lightly on the shoulder. "My heart tells me to agree but my head is afraid, Quatre. What happens when a vampire is tired of his Companion? What would happen to me?" My breath caught and I spent a few minutes trying to calm myself down. So much had occurred since that fateful trip to the grocery store. My thoughts stuttered, remembering the conversation Quatre and I had about my dinner date.

"Quatre?"

"Hmm?"

"When I told you I was going to meet Heero for dinner, you acted surprised. But, if you're a Companion..." I trailed off, not quite sure how to call my friend a liar nicely.

Quatre gave me a quick smile, patting my hand. "I hadn't met him, Relena. In fact, I still haven't. Even though Zechs does business with Heero, there's usually no reason for me to tag along."

"Oh."

The silence stretched out and I enjoyed it, as only one can enjoy silence with a true friend. Quatre knew me, knew when to push my buttons and when to leave me alone, and it was amazing how nice it was to have someone that knew me so well here with me. I was apparently the only one enjoying the silence though because when I looked up, Quatre had his lawyer face on, and that never signaled a fun conversation.

"Quatre?"

"I don't like it, Relena," Quatre exploded. "You met Heero less than a week ago and now you're two thirds of the way to becoming his Companion. Do you have any idea how much your life is going to change, if you tie it to his? He's King, Relena. The attempts on his life and yours will never stop."

"I understand that, Quatre. I had a long talk with Duo this afternoon and he explained a bunch of things." I sighed, placing my head on Quatre's shoulder. "An hour ago I would have told you that I was going to say yes. I just wanted to give us some more time. I thought he felt the same way, this evening, when we talked. But tonight, hearing that his plan all along was to seduce me…what if I'm just hearing what I want to hear?" I asked softly.

Quatre shifted, forcing me to sit up and look at him. "I talked with Duo and Trowa," he admitted.

"What?! QUATRE-"

"Before you bite my head off, listen," Quatre insisted. "He might have told you that was his original plan, but Duo and Trowa both believe that he loves you. Trowa has been with Heero almost his entire existence and Duo is his Companion. I don't like it, but I think I trust both of their judgments on this."

I groaned, letting my head fall back on the couch. "One minute you're violently against us being together and the next you're telling me you think Heero loves me. Is this some secret part of being a Companion and Vampire? Everyone has to speak in riddles? Is that explained in the Companion Guide?"

Quatre gave me an odd look. "You haven't finished reading that yet? I know the spelling is odd but it isn't a long book."

"I haven't read even half of it," I confessed. "I just got a copy tonight."

"TONIGHT? You agreed to the first two steps without knowing what it entailed?"

Quatre's tone set my teeth on edge. Why did everyone seem surprised that I'd had little to no downtime for anything? It seemed like all we did around here was jump from crisis to crisis.

"No, I didn't know what the first two steps were, seeing as I was busy dying at the time," I snapped, immediately realizing the error in my word choice. Quatre had no idea about the attacks and I had always intended for him not to find out for a very long time.

Quatre stilled. "What do you mean, you were dying? What have you been hiding, Relena?"

"What have YOU been hiding?"

"No, that isn't going to work," Quatre decided, dumping me on the couch next to him and pointing a finger at me. "You know now why I couldn't tell you anything. But there is NO REASON you shouldn't have told me about you being harmed, even if you changed the story a bit to hide the vampire side of things. What would I have done if something had happened to you? What would I have told mom and dad? My sisters? Your friends?" Quatre got up and began pacing. "TELL ME what happened," he ordered.

I curled up on the couch, my arms wrapped around my legs. Scary Quatre was back and I was afraid one wrong word would set him off. I hesitantly recounted my two run-ins, downplaying their severity, hoping he would buy my tale. Quatre wasn't fooled for a second.

"You're editing," he said, whirling toward the open door. "TROWA! I know you're somewhere in this house! I-"

I cut him off, leaping from the couch and grabbing his arm. "No, no. You can't yell at Trowa, it isn't his fault."

"You're right," Quatre agreed, his voice going soft and dangerous. "It's Heero's fault."

Quatre started for the door and I was hard pressed to slow him down. Fear gave me strength though and I was able to jerk my friend to a stand-still. "Quatre, no, you can't get in to a fight with Heero. He'll kill you."

Quatre brushed aside my concern. "I'm a Companion, Relena, he can't kill me, or even truly harm me, without the council going against him. You would know that if you had read your Guide."

"Quatre, please," I begged, ignoring his barb. "Even if Heero doesn't fight you, if you attack him, Zechs will have to help you and Trowa will have to help Heero and all of you will end up hurt and I CAN'T TAKE ANY MORE PAIN. Please, please, let it go," I pleaded. "Let Heero and I work it out. It's enough knowing you would try to defend me. Please, Quatre," I cried, wrapping my arms about him and burying my face in his chest. After a long moment his arms encircled me, hugging me back.

"Calm down, Relena," Quatre murmured. "I won't try to fight Heero."

"Calm down?!" I was hysterical at this point. "Calm down? How am I supposed to calm down when, in the last forty-eight hours, I've been shot, I've found out vampires exist, the king of vampires wants me to be his Companion, he comes home almost dead, attacks me and somehow makes me lose fifteen pounds overnight, I find out my best friend is neck deep in all of this, everyone knew my best friend was neck deep in this but didn't tell me, I'm told I'll be released from being a Companion and then have what I think is a declaration of love, only to find out, after my apartment was destroyed, that really, his master plan was just to seduce me into agreeing into being his Companion and making me doubt the sincerity of his feelings for me? And you want me to CALM DOWN?!"

Quatre looked at me with wide eyes. "I didn't understand half of what you just said," he admitted.

"I don't understand a quarter of it," I retorted. "Which is why I just want one damn day to sit and think – without someone snooping in my head - about all of the changes I'm being asked to make, and not have someone trying to kill me or anyone else in this house."

"Then come back with me to my condo," Quatre tried to persuade me. "You'll have all the peace and quiet you want. We won't tell anyone where you are. Or we'll go over to Zechs' home. You'll be safe there. You can meet Lucrezia, his wife. You'll love her, I know."

I stopped to seriously consider Quatre's offer. His condo was like a second home to me and I ached to be surrounded by the familiar. But if Hugh was as serious to kill me as it seemed, Quatre would be in harm's way. I didn't want to stay and deal with Heero right now but I wouldn't risk my friend's life just so I could be comfortable.

"I can't, not right now, Quatre. Until things are resolved I won't take any chance you'd be hurt because of me."

"Don't worry about me," Quatre brushed my concerns aside, pulling me in to a tighter hug. "I can defend myself and I'll keep anyone from getting to you."

I pulled back. "You can't promise that, Quatre, and we both know it. I'll be fine though. Everyone in this house is a part of this little fiasco. I won't drag anyone else into it. Unless you could stay?" I added suddenly. I didn't dare hope that he could but it would be nice to have someone completely on my side around here.

Quatre paused, talking with Zechs, I presumed. He shook his head regretfully a second later, his face a tight frown.

"I can't. We have somewhere we have to be tonight and part of tomorrow," Quatre explained. "You make them give you the time and space you need to think," he ordered. "And if you need me back here, I'll come, everything else be damned."

I nodded in agreement, biting back my sigh of disappointment. I had a strong feeling the someplace he needed to be was anywhere but here and it was on Heero's orders. "It's late," I said instead. "It's been a long day, Quatre. I think I'm just going to get something to eat then go to bed."

"I meant what I said, Relena," where Quatre's parting words to me. "Call and I'll come."

* * *

"Damn you, Heero Yuy," Quatre growled, before going in search of his target.

Neither Heero nor Zechs were terribly surprised when the office door was slammed open to admit an irate Quatre Winner. "You," he growled, stomping over to lean on Heero's desk and point an accusing finger at the seated vampire. Quatre ignored the repeated orders from Zechs to stand down and apologize, intent on defending his friend.

"You...you inconsiderate lying asshole! I don't care who you are, but you will NOT mess with Relena like this, do you understand?"

Heero leaned back in his chair, eyeing Quatre thoughtfully. "Mess with her how?" he inquired, eliciting another snarl from the Companion.

"Her emotions," Quatre specified. "She loves you, for reasons I don't understand. If you had just loved her back, then you could have had everything."

Had Quatre not been staring intently at Heero, he would have missed the look that passed through Heero's eyes. Interpreting the look correctly he sagged against the desk, the wind gone from his sails.

"You do love her," he said quietly, and Heero gave a slight tilt of the head to acknowledge his feelings. Quatre laughed, rubbing a hand across his face. "God help you, she'll drive you insane within a week."

Quatre turned to look at Zechs, the words on his lips dying as a deceptively quiet voice spoke behind him.

"Quatre Raberba Winner."

Quatre swung back toward Heero, his mouth going dry at the cold countenance of the seated man.

"We haven't officially met," Heero continued softly. "I know you are a friend of Trowa's and a close friend of Relena's. But do not think," he snarled, leaning forward, "that your familiarity with them also grants you the same rights with me. I understand you were trying to comfort a friend but do not attempt to get between Relena and me. I gave you the answer you sought so that you would understand my position. Relena will have the time she needs to come to a decision, without outside influence. Until I say otherwise, you are not to step foot in this house. Is that clear?"

Quatre nodded, his eyes hard, his mouth a sharp line. "Perfectly," he replied crisply. He turned to leave, stopping at the door. "As a piece of _friendly_ advice," he started, the sarcasm evident in his voice, "I know Relena much better than you do, even with the Companion bond. And no matter how much she loves you, she won't stay if she doesn't think you love her in return. So perhaps you should start working on convincing her otherwise."

With that parting shot, Quatre left, gently closing the door behind him.

The two remaining men eyed each other, Zechs giving a sharp nod.

"Thank you for not killing him."

Heero took a deep breath, tamping down his anger at the perceived threat in Quatre's words.

"Relena would be sad."

* * *

Unaware of the discussion occurring, I was staring at the microwave when Cathy burst into the kitchen.

"Relena? Is everything okay?"

I stared for a moment then blushed. "Oh, god, Trowa heard everything, didn't he?" I moaned, sinking into a chair.

Cathy laughed, seating herself next to me. "As to that, I couldn't say. He just told me that you might need a friend. Do you...want to talk about anything?"

I smiled, glad to hear that Cathy already considered me a friend. Once more I recounted the evening, glad to have another woman take my side.

"That jerk!" Cathy exclaimed, getting up to pace. "I should have killed him when I had the chance!"

I blinked, not quite following the other woman's meaning. "Er...I'm sorry? Did I miss something?"

It was Cathy's turn to blink.

"Didn't Heero tell you anything about me?"

I shook my head, ticking off what I knew about her on my fingers. "I know you're Trowa's Companion, prefer to go by Cathy, and that you can cook. That's it."

Cathy turned away, touching random items on the counter, not meeting my eyes. "Oh. Well then..." she turned, squaring her shoulders. "I'm an assassin," she announced, her eyes daring me to make a stink about it.

"What? I thought you just said..." I trailed off as Cathy nodded in confirmation. "Oh. Well, then. Er...how does one go about becoming an assassin?" Curiosity got the better of me, and I blurted out my question.

Cathy laughed, though, returning to her seat next to me. "In an odd and complicated story that I won't bore you with. Suffice it to say, I met Trowa when I was hired to kill Heero."

"What?!" I sputtered, fully turning to face the guiltily smiling woman. "You. Were hired...to kill Heero?"

Cathy nodded. "Yes. I started dating Trowa, trying to get close to Heero because I knew they were business partners. Unfortunately, I started to fall for Trowa, so I decided to finish the job early. Heero and Trowa were outside when I used a sniper rifle to take Heero out from a distance. Trowa pushed him out of the way though and took the bullet. And in the moment it took me to realize I'd shot Trowa, he had found me and ripped the gun out of my hand." Cathy blushed, fanning a hand in front of her face, grinning. "I still get hot and bothered thinking about how he looked, towering over me where I was hiding. Whew," she laughed again. "Anyway, the next thing I know he's pulling me to my feet, ripping my mask off and staring at me like I had two heads. Then he's showing me the bullet wound he's healing before my eyes. I fainted," she admitted, blushing again. "And when I came to, he told me he loved me, that he was a vampire, and wanted me to be his Companion. Three days later I'm a Companion, and we're planning our wedding."

"What?" Hmmm. That seemed to be the only word I knew tonight.

"Trowa and I are married, Relena. You didn't know that either?" I shook my head dumbly.

"So...it's usual for a vampire and their Companion to get married?" I asked hesitantly.

"Oh, goodness, no. In the eyes of the vampire culture, we were already married, more than married, as it's a bond that can't be broken, except for death, or the Companion becoming a vampire themself," Cathy explained. "But we had to tell my family something."

"What? Wait...you're having fun dropping these bombshells, aren't you?" I demanded, and Cathy laughed till she cried.

"I'm sorry," she said, wiping at her eyes. "But you should have seen your face."

"But...family? You have a family and they know about Trowa?"

"Oh, no. They think Trowa's a wealthy business man - and he is - but they think I'm just a trophy wife. I think my mother's thrilled to have a trophy wife in the family," Cathy muttered, tapping a finger to her chin.

"So...your family has no clue you're an assassin, and they don't know about Trowa," I stated, hoping I was keeping the story straight.

"No. Trowa owns the house next to Heero, so anytime my family comes to visit we move over there for a bit. The rest of the time we're here, in case Heero needs Trowa." Seeing my look, she clarified. "They are business partners, but Trowa is Heero's second, something like a bodyguard."

"I see," I murmured, thinking it odd that a man like Heero would even need a bodyguard while congratulating myself for correctly guessing their relationship.

"How long have you been a Companion?" I asked. Surely it couldn't be too long a period, if her family still visited.

"Five years. And I regret nothing, Relena," she added, seeing my contemplative look. I sighed, my meal forgotten as I stood and headed towards my bed.

"Yes, but then, Trowa loves you, and that makes all the difference," I said, and fled the room before she could say another word.


	15. Chapter 15

Dark World

Chapter 14

By: Lady Saffir

Rating: PG-13/R

DISCLAIMER: I in no way shape or form own any rights to Gundam Wing...*sigh*

"When I say, "I love you," it's not because I want you or because I can't have you. It has nothing to do with me. I love what you are, what you do, how you try. I've seen your kindness and your strength. I've seen the best and the worst of you. And I understand with perfect clarity exactly what you are. You're a hell of a woman." Spike to Buffy

"When angry, count to four. When very angry, swear." Mark Twain

* * *

For the second time that night, Heero's attempt to have a business meeting was interrupted. This time it was Cathy who slammed the study door open, stomping over to Heero's desk, pulling a gun in the process. Heero eyed the barrel pointed squarely at his right eye, then flicked his gaze to the side.

"You stay out of this," Cathy growled, jabbing a finger in Trowa's direction without taking her gaze off of Heero. "Unless you want to sleep on the couch for the next several centuries."

Shrugging his shoulder, Trowa raised his hands in surrender, resuming his post against the wall. Heero rolled his eyes, and tapping his fingers on the desk, turned his attention back to the pissed off woman before him. Catherine was Trowa's Companion and as such had almost as much leeway as Duo but she was quickly trying his patience.

"What is it, Catherine? I'm trying to have a meeting."

"I should have killed you years ago, Yuy. And I would have if I'd known you were this big of an asshole," Cathy stated, gun never wavering.

"You talked to Relena."

Heero's infuriatingly calm tone had Cathy sighing. Flipping the safety back on she holstered her gun, glaring at the seated man before her.

"Damnit, Heero, I like her, and I just KNOW you're going to screw this up. While I'm sure it's an unfamiliar concept, I suggest you start learning how to grovel," Cathy suggested, turning to look at her husband and missing the darkening of Heero's facial expression. "And you! You're his second. You're supposed to set him straight when he's got his head too far up his ass to see. How-"

"I am going to forget you said that."

If the chilled voice at her back wasn't enough warning, Trowa's face and his mental /careful!/ let Cathy know that Heero wasn't in the mood to tolerate any insubordination. Cathy took a deep breath, turning to Heero but carefully not meeting his gaze.

"I'm sorry. Forgive me," she whispered. Then, unable to keep her submissive pose, she continued, raising her eyes to his. "I don't want you to lose her, Heero! I don't know what I can say or do-"

"Do nothing," Heero ordered. "If she approaches you, listen and counsel. But let her be by herself for a time. We've surrounded her constantly and all she wants now is some time to herself."

Cathy sighed and bit back a reply, nodding sharply, before leaving with one last look at her husband.

Zechs and Trowa watched in interest as Heero got up, opening the door to his study wide before returning to his seat. Zechs started to speak, the words dying on his lips when one slim finger was held in the air. Heero appeared to be staring intently at his watch, then sat back and folded his arms across his chest as Duo appeared in the doorway.

"And have you come to question my judgment and call me names as well?" Heero asked, his voice soft and dangerous.

Duo sat, eyeing the vampire he had been tied to for over two centuries. "If you're asking in that tone of voice, no," he replied frankly. "I'll save it for some other time," he continued, ignoring Heero's glare. "I'm here to try and support you. What the hell happened, man? At dinner you two were all over each other, and now," Duo trailed off. "Well, now she's pissed AND she's heart-broken, which seems to me like it would be pretty hard to be both at once. So what happened?" Duo repeated.

Heero raised an eyebrow. "You mean she didn't tell you?"

Duo snorted. "I was told to 'mind my own fucking business'," he replied, fingers going up to denote a direct quote. "If she's cursing, it must be bad. So what'd you do?"

Heero frowned, annoyed to find himself rehashing the painful conversation. There was a possability Duo could help him navigate the rough waters he was in though, so he took the chance. "I told her the truth when she asked," was all he said.

"The truth?" Duo repeated, staring at Heero with a frown. "What tru-ah, hell, you 'fessed up to how long you've been planning to get to her, didn't you?" Duo groaned, scrubbing his face with his hands. "I told you before, women today are a totally different breed of creature. THAT sort of behavior usually warrants them running to the police and asking for a restraining order, NOT thinking it's romantic and deciding they should be with you forever. Dude," he trailed off, trying to think of some way to salvage the situation. "Don't bite my head off, but what exactly were you trying to get across to her?"

Heero opened a desk drawer, taking a small box out and tossing it to Duo. Violet eyes opened wide as he opened the box to reveal a large diamond ring. Closing the box, he tossed it back, asking, "And what else did you say to her? I'm thinking there's more to the story than just you admitting to stalking her."

It was Trowa's snort that had both men turning to look at the silent man. "She didn't hear the marriage proposal in that, Heero. You're a couple centuries behind if you think that qualifies."

Heero scowled. "So I didn't come out and say 'marry me'. Why didn't she understand what I was trying to say?"

"And what exactly did you say to her?" Duo asked again.

Heero simply continued to scowl, ignoring the question.

"He told her she could have whatever she wanted, do whatever she wanted," Trowa answered. "Incidentally never saying a word about love."

It was Duo's turn to scowl. "Idiot. She doesn't care about your position, so it wouldn't occur to her that if she says 'I want that' quite a few people are going to be falling all over themselves to make her happy, so that you'll be happy, and just maybe you'd do a favor for them."

Heero shrugged, dismissing the truth in Duo's words. "She'll learn to get used to it. In the mean time, I need to do damage control. Suggestions?"

Duo whistled. "For one, never EVER let her hear you refer to dealing with her as 'damage control'. And second, I suggest you start brainstorming on how to convince her you do love her. In this, you're just a man like the rest of us, trying to get our foot out of our mouth. I'll send you the number of the florist I use when I'm in the doghouse with Hilde. Well, I'm off, good luck."

Duo was almost to the door when Heero called him back. Turning, the tall Companion caught an envelope. Opening it, he whistled again, seeing Relena's smiling countenance staring up at him from a new bank card.

"Replace everything that was destroyed," Heero ordered.

Duo sighed, closing the envelope before tossing it back to Heero. "Your heart's in the right place, but your technique sucks. There's no way in hell she'll use your money right now." Stuffing his hands in his pockets, the braided man walked out, shaking his head at the stupidity of some people.

* * *

I found myself back in what I supposed I could consider 'my room', the room adjacent to Heero's. The only thing that made it mine was the fact that my purse was on the dressing table, and one change of clothes was folded onto the end of the bed. It was all I had that was mine and I felt my anger renew at the attacks that had been occurring. What had I ever done to this Hugh? Why did he hate Heero so much? Why?

The question echoed in my head, stuck on an endless loop. I wanted to think, to be by myself. How did I keep my thoughts to myself though? What was the distance required for mental communication to breakdown? I didn't want to ask anyone, talk to anyone. Maybe I could figure it out? I tried to imagine a wall between me and the world, a smooth, impenetrable shield that wouldn't let anyone look in. After about a minute I began to feel ridiculous. How would I know if it worked though, I wondered.

/Ah, princess, what are you doing? I'm getting some weird things from you AND Heero. I'll be home in a few-/

/Mind your own fucking business!/ I screamed at Duo.

Okay, so maybe I needed to go about this in a different way. Maybe some exercise would help calm me down. I dove for my purse, hoping I had remembered to pack my music player and it wasn't one of the items littering the floor of my apartment.

Luck was with me, as it was both in my purse and had a mostly full battery. It was a relief to put my earbuds in and scroll to find my workout playlist. Not having true gym equipment handy I settled on my yoga list, quickly falling into the peace and rhythm I usually found. I let my thoughts drift, alighting on nothing. I needed this time, when my head didn't fight with my heart.

I don't know when it started but at some point I began to sing, my voice flowing effortlessly as I worked through my routine and my pain.

* * *

"-seriously, worried, Trowa. I've never- Trowa? What is it? Another attack?" Cathy interrupted herself, suddenly aware of her husband's pre-occupation. His head was turned to the west, in the direction that Cathy knew Heero's suite lay. She was reaching for her gun when Trowa held up a cautioning hand.

/she's singing/

/Who?/ Cathy instinctively kept to their private communication, still ready for any attack. Trowa was acting oddly, standing with his eyes closed, his head tilted back.

/Relena. Listen/ Trowa commanded, sharing his hearing with his wife.

"Oh." Cathy breathed. "I didn't know she could sing. Is she…singing Rihanna?"

/It doesn't matter. The words-HEERO!/

Trowa caught Heero as he was reaching for the door knob.

"You promised her solitude if she wished it," Trowa intoned, stepping between Heero and the door. "If you break your promise you know she will choose to leave. You MUST give her time."

"You don't understand, Trowa. Her heart," Heero trailed off, his tone full of pain. "I must do whatever I can to fix it between us."

"You must give her time," Trowa repeated. "Come spar with me, Heero. Work this out of your system. Distract yourself as she is distracting herself."

* * *

They were an hour into the sparring and Trowa was regretting his offer. The longer they dueled the hotter Heero's temper rose, to the point that Trowa was hard pressed to keep his liege from striking a serious blow. It was obvious Heero was beyond seeing his true opponent and was fighting some imagined foe.

"Heero."

Trowa dodged another blow, flipping himself up over Heero's head. The sword in Heero's hand whistled a hair's breadth from Trowa's neck.

"Heero!"

Trowa ducked another swipe of the blade, wishing he hadn't offered to fight with weapons. In hand to hand he could hold his own against Heero, but his Maker excelled in combat by sword. He was no match and it was only a matter of time before he succumbed to Heero's blade.

Then his footing slipped, his sword coming up milliseconds too late.

/HEERO!/

* * *

Trowa woke with a gasp, his gaze first going to Catherine, bending over him, then to Heero.

"What…"

"You idiot! You fool! What were you thinking, to fight me with swords?" Heero swore at him, pacing up and down the sparring room. "What was I thinking to agree? I almost killed you!"

Trowa sat up with a groan, letting his head fall back. "You…ugh," he winced as the not fully healed wound was pulled taut by the action, "needed to work through your feelings."

"My feelings? My feelings?! Let me share with you my feelings and perhaps then you can tell me how to work through them!" Heero railed at his firstborn, his oldest confidant.

The world fractured around Trowa as Heero unleashed the strength of his feelings for Relena upon him. The pressure, the depth of caring…every little detail examined, every gesture thought over for the possibility of showing the young woman he was focused on the extent and severity of his care and concern. The fear that he wasn't good enough, that she would accept his offer to release her, that the power he wielded would frighten her away. The fear that she would agree to become his Companion and one day grow to hate the cold hearted bastard he was forced to play at times. All of that was unleashed for only a second yet it was enough to have Cathy crying out in agony as she caught some of the backlash through the bond.

The feelings cut off abruptly as Heero reined himself in, his chest heaving at the effort required.

"Forgive me. I did not mean for anything to reach your wife," Heero apologized formally. His breathing was harsh and Trowa looked over to find him crouching with his head in his hands, gulping in air as if he had run a marathon.

Trowa pulled Cathy into his arms, holding her close to comfort himself as much as her as he regarded his friend in a new light. "How are you not crazy?" he asked bluntly.

"Who says I'm not?" came the bleak reply. "My control is only so good. If I slip even once," Heero trailed off, shaking his head and falling back to lie on the mat.

"Maybe you need to slip," Cathy suggested quietly. "She's afraid you don't love her, Heero. She might believe the words if you said them but you have the ability to actually let her feel how you feel."

"And if that frightens her away?"

"Then at least you know you tried everything."

* * *

I wanted to scream in frustration. The exercise earlier had helped calm me down and settle into a state of mind where I could think through everything that had occurred. I had tried to examine Heero's words and actions as objectively as possible. I thought, hoped, that he truly did care for me and that it was as Duo said, that he was as afraid as I was of messing this up. After deliberating on the emotional side of things I decided to actually read the Companion's Guide.

Then I remembered that Cathy had taken her copy of the book back when Heero had given me the thumb drive. And my laptop was currently in pieces. The only computer I knew the location of was in Heero's office and I definitely didn't want to go there. I didn't want to talk to anyone but I couldn't just randomly wander the house, hoping someone had left a spare computer lying around.

I sighed and opened the door with the intentions of going to Duo so I could both apologize for yelling at him earlier and ask for his help once again. I had to skip awkwardly over the laptop that had been leaning against the door and had fallen into the way. A note was peeking out from between the closed screen and keyboard and I pulled it out, reading the short blocky print.

'Kind of hard to read a computer file without a computer. Consider this a loaner till you can get another one. PS – eat.'

It was signed 'The Laptop Fairy'. I looked outside the door further and found a large paper bag containing a multitude of food items, including a king size chocolate bar on top.

I snorted, picking the computer and the bag of food up and closeting myself away once more.

* * *

I winced as bright sunlight hit my eyes, the curtains having been ripped open. Groaning, I rolled over, not wanting to wake. It had been almost three before I had fallen asleep, and it was now...I squinted at the clock. Nine in the morning. Someone was going to die.

"Good morning, sleepy head!" Cathy's cheerful voice had me wishing desperately for a gun.

I only scowled deeply when Cathy's smiling face appeared in my vision.

"Oh, nice look. I see you've been taking lessons from Heero," Cathy laughed, grabbing both of my ankles and yanking me from the bed in a quick rush. I hit the floor with a thump, both elbows taking a beating. My head bounced off the floor, stars floating before my eyes.

"Can people please stop making me hit my head? I'm going to have massive brain damage soon," I complained. My curses had Cathy laughing, still pulling me in the direction of the bathroom. I had flipped over onto my stomach, trying to grab hold of anything to stop this crazy progress, when the door between mine and Heero's room opened. Cathy and I looked up to see a sleep rumpled Heero leaning against the door frame.

"Heero!" Cathy exclaimed, dropping my legs in the process. "Good morning! Now tell Miss Lazy Bones here to get up. We need to go shopping."

Heero took in my scowling countenance. "I thought we understood each other last night, Catherine. What are you planning on doing to my Companion?"

"Not your Companion yet," I countered, gaining my feet to better stare Heero down. I had no idea how much snooping he had been doing last night, didn't know if he had read what I thought was most likely my decision.

Heero's eyes narrowed, and suddenly he was before me, one hand grasping my arm at the elbow, pulling me towards his room. "We are going to talk."

"Heero!" I slapped at his hand. "Cathy!" I turned, looking for help, only to see my friend waving, calling out, "I want to leave within the hour, Heero!" before the door was slammed shut.

Heero proceeded to pull me into the bathroom, a large spacious affair done in deep greens with silver accents spread throughout. It was a beautiful room, but I was in no mood to admire the scenery.

"What do you want, Heero? And why are we talking in the bathroom?" I asked, clenching my hands into fists to keep from giving in to the urge to run my fingers through his unruly hair. Damnit, did the man have to be this sexy? It wasn't fair.

"No windows," was the short answer I received. For once Heero appeared oblivious to my thoughts. He was staring intently at the walls, the sink, the shower...looking everywhere but my direction. The silence continued for a moment before I tried again.

"Heero?"

"I'm sorry," he bit out, spinning to face me, arms folded across his chest. The look on his face dared me to not accept his apology, and I had to hide the smile that threatened. Someone wasn't used to giving apologies, it appeared. I mentally shrugged. He'd better get used to giving them, as I wasn't going to take any high handed behavior from him.

I had spent several hours last night thinking (hopefully just to myself) and reading the Companion Guide. I had gone round in circles before condensing everything down into two problems. Could I handle the constant attempts on our lives? With help and support, yes. The bigger problem was, would I believe Heero if he told me he loved me? I wanted to think that I would, but it had to sound sincere. And maybe I was being a naïve child but I had to hope that the odds against us weren't insurmountable.

"And what, exactly, are you apologizing for? I seem to recall there were several things that would merit an apology," I stated, my own arms folded across my chest as I eyed him coolly.

Heero opened his mouth, thought better of whatever he had intended to say, and closed it, staring at a point just above my head.

"Well?"

The quiet was unnerving, and I sighed, turning toward the door, any hope that we might patch things up quickly fading. He wasn't sorry; he was only saying what he thought I wanted to hear. We were back to 'give Relena the answer I think she wants to hear' again.

A tug on my hand stopped me, and I turned back to find Heero staring at me intently. "I am sorry," he stated, pulling me towards him. He wrapped his arms around me, and I had to fight the urge to melt in his arms. He wasn't getting off that easily. He tucked my head against his shoulder, keeping one hand tangled in my hair, and it seemed as if the words came easier now that we couldn't look each other in the eye.

"I shouldn't have reacted the way I did when you asked for me to be honest with you. The closest I've ever come to an equal is Dorothy and she isn't around enough to cause problems." The hand not in my hair began to run up and down my back, and I slowly relaxed into his embrace, my arms going around his waist to hold him close even as I wondered, 'who was Dorothy?'.

The dam broke, and words began to pour out.

"I shouldn't have said what I did about you having anything you wanted. I'm used to others expecting to make bargains for the smallest thing. I'm still not used to these times, when women don't need a man for anything," Heero acknowledged. "Duo's told me time and again I couldn't rely on past experiences for cues on how to treat you. I should have found a better way to let you know I'd been watching you for some time. It's true, I had planned on seducing you into accepting the role. But you," Heero swallowed hard. "You seduced me. When I told you I thought I was falling in love with you that second night, I wasn't just saying that. Words are hard for me, Relena. Please be patient with me. What I should have said is, I love you. I want you at my side for all time. I want my people and humans to know that you belong to me - that we belong to each other. Marry me, Relena?"

I pulled back to see Heero's face, his eyes intense and serious. I searched his face for any sign he was simply saying the words to make me happy, but all I found was truth staring back at me. /May I show you how I feel?/ he asked hesitantly. I nodded in agreement and suddenly I could feel his intent and it was as strong and sure as anything I had felt for him.

Happiness flooded through me, and Heero was kissing me before I could give an answer.

/Yes. Yes, I'll marry you, I'll be your Companion, I'll stay by your side forever/

I staggered back to my room forty five minutes later, all of my muscles pleasantly sore. I was finishing applying my make-up when Heero appeared in the doorway, one hand thrown up in front of his face at the sun that came in through the still open blinds.

"Heero!" I exclaimed, hastening to close the blinds and curtains as fast as possible. "What are you still doing awake?" Heero merely grunted, making his way to the bed before sitting down heavily. I hurried to his side, wondering what was wrong now. "Heero?"

"It's the sun, Relena. The stronger it is, the weaker I am," Heero mumbled, thrusting one hand up towards me to pull me down next to him. "I don't want you to leave the house. Till at least noon," Heero hurried to add, seeing my expression. "If you won't simply order things to be delivered, wait until we are at our weakest. Listen to Cathy and Duo, or wait-"

"D-"

Heero scrubbed a hand over his face. "Please don't fight me on this, Relena. I can't be with you so I'm trying to keep you as safe as possible. "

I was tempted, so tempted to argue but looking at Heero sitting there, his hair mussed and looking as if he'd been up for days cut my argument. How would I feel if I couldn't keep him safe? If our roles were reversed, wouldn't I be doing anything possible to make sure he stayed alive and healthy? Heero read the acquiescence on my face.

"You aren't going to argue with me?"

I pulled Heero down onto the bed, worming my way into his arms. "Consider it the exception, not the norm," I promised. Heero tightened his hold, planting a kiss at my hairline.

"Stay with me till I'm asleep?"

"Always," I promised. He fell asleep almost immediately, his breathing deep and even, his hold barely slackening. His face softened in sleep, not by much, but enough that I could see the man that I knew Heero could be. Even his hair softened, falling over his eyes but not apparently bothering him. I treasured this time I could spend looking at him without him knowing or looking like a love sick fool. I spent almost an hour in his arms before carefully wiggling my way out and heading downstairs to meet Cathy and Duo.


	16. Chapter 16

Dark World

Chapter 14B

By: Lady Saffir

Rating: R for adult situations

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any characters associated with Gundam Wing

"Falling in love with someone isn't always going to be easy... Anger... tears... laughter.. It's when you want to be together despite it all. That's when you truly love another. I'm sure of it."

"When you smiled you had my undivided attention. When you laughed you had my urge to laugh with you. When you cried you had my urge to hold you. When you said you loved me, you had my heart forever."

* * *

I walked downstairs to find Cathy and Duo and had the unpleasant surprise of seeing Hilde as well. Duo turned before I could get my face under control. His look let me know he understood what I was feeling and I winced, hating to be so obvious in my dislike. My wince deepened when I realized I hadn't apologized yet for yelling so crudely at Duo last night.

Duo cut me off before I could begin. "Nope, no apology necessary, for anything that's happened since you came here. And no, still not snooping," he added, flashing me a grin and a wink. "I just know you."

Cathy and Hilde turned as Duo spoke, a look that I didn't understand flashing across Hilde's face. She sighed, coming forward with one hand outstretched.

"I'm sorry about the way I acted last time we met," she started. "I was out of town when it happened and all Sally would tell me is that Duo had been seriously hurt chasing after you, and well," she trailed off, raising one shoulder. "Duo's always a target because of Heero and we've been together so long and-"

"It's okay," I interrupted, taking her hand. "It was my fault Duo was hurt," I shot him a quick look, daring him to say something, "and I would have probably done the same thing if someone had hurt Heero."

"Excellent," Duo clapped his hands. "You two have kissed and made up. Now, let's get this tort- I mean, sure to be fun shopping trip started."

The joy of being out and about in the 'real world' made the day pass by quickly. I had decided to wait to purchase new textbooks till Monday morning, hoping that perhaps my professors would have a spare copy I could be loaned for the remaining weeks of class, so the day was full of only fun. The only hiccup was when Duo had tried to hand me a new bank card. I immediately refused.

"Look at it this way, Relena," Duo tried to reason with me. "It's Heero's fault all of your stuff was trashed so he feels like he should pay to replace it. Besides, once you marry him you'll be on his account anway."

I ignored Cathy's 'You're getting married?!' and 'Hilde's 'Oh my god!'. "And how do you know Heero asked me to marry him and that I said yes?"

"Trowa and I are his best friends, Relena. Of course he told us the minute you said yes."

"It had better not have been the minute I said yes," I muttered. There were times it was okay to multi-task and in the middle of a mind blowing kiss wasn't. "And I'm still not taking that card."

Duo shook his head. "Yup, you two are perfect for each other."

I had felt Heero touch my mind lightly throughout the course of the day, ensuring I was safe. I made a pretty good dent on the items I needed to replace, chief among them clothes and electronic items. I couldn't wait to get home and show Heero some of my purchases. Cathy had dragged Hilde and myself into a very discreet little lingerie boutique, claiming that our guys would be putty in our hands. I couldn't wait to see if she was right.

We were staggering in from the garage, laughing at the amount of bags, only to be confronted by Wufei. His arms were crossed and he looked annoyed as he blocked the doorway.

"Heero needs to see you in the library immediately, Relena," he announced shortly. "Duo, we're going over to Sally's – now."

"Okay. Let me just – "I started, surprised when Wufei cut me off.

"Now, Relena. There is someone you must meet."

At that, Duo paled, dropping the bags he still held. "Oh, fuck," he breathed. "Let's roll, Wu-man. I am not sticking around for this."

"Wait!" I protested. "Who am I meeting? Oh god," I muttered, a thought crossing my mind. "I'm not about to meet an ex-wife, or one of Heero's however many great-grandchildren, am I?"

"Worse," Duo confirmed. "Think of her as the mother in law from hell."

With that, he, Hilde and Wufei all but ran for the car, leaving me with a feeling of dread.

"Cathy?" I turned, seeking reassurance.

My friend shrugged one shoulder helplessly. "Good luck. I'll take your bags up for you."

For some reason, the main theme from Jaws began to echo in my mind.

I walked in to the library, pondering Duo's words. 'Think of her as the mother in law from hell'. What could that mean? Heero was standing at the large bay window, staring out over the grounds, while a woman with long blonde hair was seated, idly flipping pages of a book. Both ignored my entrance.

"Heero? Wufei said you needed to see me?"

My answer was a curt nod, and a short, "Come here."

Rolling my eyes, I walked across the room. I was unsure if this woman was a friend or enemy, and thought it best to play along. If she was a friend and Heero was simply in a foul mood, well, we'd deal with that later. I reached out, intent on touching his shoulder, when he whirled, grabbing my arm. I gasped, staring up at him in confusion.

"What do you think you're doing?" Heero growled.

"I could ask you the same thing," I countered, slapping at his arm. "Stop this."

"Or what?" Heero asked, his eyes glittering dangerously.

I knew my mouth was hanging open. "What is wrong with you tonight, Heero?"

The sound of clapping filled the room, the seated woman finally standing and making her way over to us.

"Bravo, Miss Relena. That is the perfect attitude to have. But it will never work, Heero," she sighed, shaking her head. "No one will believe for long that you don't love her. You stepped between us when you grabbed her arm to keep me from a direct shot. You didn't tighten your fingers and you positioned her so that you could shove her away if there was an attack. You'll have to find another way to trick Hugh into action," Dorothy concluded.

Understanding flooded through me. "You jerk! If you think that's how you'll act with me around other vampires, you're sadly mistaken. I won't play games," I stated, jerking free of his hold.

"And if that's all that keeps you alive?" Heero asked.

"Then I'll die," I answered, earning a laugh from the other woman. She circled around Heero, placing one hand on his right shoulder while resting her chin on his left, smirking at me.

"I believe you've met your match, Heero. I had hoped to see this day," she purred.

"Who are you?" I asked in bewilderment, not caring if I was rude. Something about this woman made me feel twitchy.

"Relena, this is Dorothy Catalonia – my Maker," Heero answered, stepping away from her touch.

The blonde woman curtsied, tipping her head down slightly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Relena, a great pleasure indeed. I had wondered what type of woman could handle the great Heero Yuy, and I must say, you aren't at all what I pictured."

"Please, just call me Relena," I responded automatically, sparing Heero a look as he lounged in the shadows. It was only a quick look because I had the distinct impression that Dorothy wouldn't hesitate to strike if a person was distracted. And I had a feeling she always went for the killing blow.

"Oh, I just couldn't, that wouldn't be proper at all. Though I do hope in time we'll become close friends, Miss Relena," Dorothy gushed, setting my bullshit meter off. What was this woman up to?

/I find it better not to ask, for no reason other than my sanity/ Heero's thought had me trying to hide a grin.

"Well, I must be going. Heero, Miss Relena, I'll see you both soon," Dorothy dipped her head briefly then left, the tension that was almost palpable in the air dissipating within moments.

I turned to Heero once more, frowning. "That sounded like a threat. Now I know why Duo referred to her as the mother in law from hell," I groused, earning a short bark of laughter from Heero. He crossed to my side, wrapping strong arms around me in a comforting embrace.

"He never did like her," he admitted. "And he knows comments like that will piss her off faster than anything else he could do."

"Mmm. Well, now that she's gone, and everyone else is gone…what are we going to do for the rest of the evening?" I questioned, turning to wrap my arms about Heero's neck. My fingers played with the short hairs at the base of his skull, and he leaned back into the caress, eyes closing momentarily.

The look in his eyes as he tilted his head down to meet my gaze had my blood heating.

"I think the question is, what are we going to do to each other?"

* * *

I was all set to head straight for the bedroom, but Heero had other ideas. He led me into the dining room. A beautifully prepared meal was on the table, complete with enough bread to put me into a blissful carbohydrate coma. Heero settled me into my chair before sitting next to me. The only thing on the table before him was a glass of wine, the deep red color enough to make me wonder if it was an intentional choice.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just wasn't expecting this," I explained. "I thought since it was just us I'd heat something up." I frowned at the look of consternation that flashed across Heero's face.

"What?"

"Nothing." A pause. "Unless you'd rather have one of Duo's frozen pizzas?"

What was going on? Heero was almost twitching and was staring so intently at me I knew that, for once, he wasn't snooping around in my head. I knew my face was showing my confusion. I was almost to the point of giggles for the absurdity of the situation. Heero was worked up about something and I was apparently missing every cue he was giving me for how I should act. One would think this was our first date, with the awkward silence and stilted conversation.

Heero growled, standing abruptly. "I'm going to ignore everything Duo told me," he announced.

"Ah, okay?"

Confusion turned to clarity as Heero dropped to one knee, pulling a box from his pocket. His gaze was steady on mine.

"I have done everything backwards since the moment we met," he started. "I saw only my goal to make you my Companion without considering what would happen if you were suddenly thrown into my world. I shouldn't have been so naïve, so foolish to think that it was be easy. And every time something happened I reacted exactly the way I shouldn't have. That night I attacked you," Heero trailed off, bowing his head. "I almost had to turn you," he admitted, rushing on over my gasp. "That was the first time since I became a vampire that I hated, loathed what I was. "

"Heero-"

"Last night….last night," Heero sighed, looking back up at me. "I knew you were angry and wanted to provoke you. To get you angry at one person and one person only, so that the others could be there to support you. I didn't realize how angry I also was," he admitted, grimacing at the memory. "And then I said things that should only have been discussed when we were both calm. I was so afraid last night that you would choose to leave. I didn't want to hear those words, so I deliberately blocked your thoughts from me so I could give myself the illusion a bit longer that you would decide to stay. I went to sleep fearing that I would wake and find you gone."

"You see me first and foremost as a man. Everyone else, including Trowa and Duo, see my power first and consider the man second. You don't care about my wealth or my power and have me so turned around I don't know which way is up. With you, I am simply a man in love, always trying to be worthy of you."

I didn't realize I was crying until Heero reached up and gently wiped away my tears with his thumbs. He kept his hands on my face, our gazes locked together.

"You have dealt with so much this past week and at every instance handled it better than someone twice your age would have. You are the strongest person I know," Heero said with such conviction I almost believed him. It was a ridiculous thought, me being stronger than him in any way. "I know I asked you earlier but I want to make it two separate questions."

"Heero?"

"The most important question first, knowing that your answer to either one has no bearing on the other," Heero started. "Will you marry me?"

I was bewildered by the remark of two questions. "Yes. Yes, of course I'll marry you. I love you, Heero. What-"

"The second question," Heero interrupted. "If your answer no, I will still love you and stay by your side. Will you become my Companion?"

I thought through his statement and question for a moment, checking to make sure I understood correctly. "Are you saying that if I don't want to become your Companion, you will still marry me?"

"Yes."

I looked down at the man kneeling before me, smiling at the worry he couldn't quite mask. "Heero Yuy. One human lifetime with you isn't enough. I'm greedy and want to see what eternity holds for us. Yes, I'll become your Companion."

Heero smiled, reaching down to pick up the box he had dropped at some point. We both watched as he slid the band onto my finger, the large diamond catching and reflecting a rainbow from the overhead lights. I looked up a second before he did, seeing the look of wonder on his face. Then he was pulling me down to him and into a kiss that had my toes curling. After a moment he pulled back, his smile wry.

"I think your dinner has gotten cold."

"That's the wonderful thing about microwaves," I teased. "They reheat cold things."

Heero was about to answer when he looked sideways, pulling my attention with him. An older man with gray hair and a full gray mustache stood in the doorway, holding a plate.

"Peygan," Heero" greeted the man easily. "What are you doing?"

The older man moved into the room, setting aside my cold food and replacing it with a fresh steaming plate. "Master Heero," he returned. "I thought perhaps a second plate might be necessary. It has been some time but I do remember how long it took to ask my wife to marry me."

"Relena, this is Peygan. He runs the house," Heero introduced us. "Peygan, this is Relena, my fiancée," the last was said with a kiss pressed to my knuckles. The gesture was so hopelessly romantic I knew I had a lovesick expression on my face. "Peygan has been with me for forty years," Heero continued.

/Not a vampire?/

"No. Peygan's family has served me for centuries," Heero answered aloud.

"With pleasure," Peygan added. "My congratulations to you both. I'll retire to my rooms unless you need anything else?"

* * *

The bedroom was bathed in candlelight as Heero carried me in, placing me gently on the bed and following me down. We kissed, and it was slow and deep, and full of promises of what was to come. Our hands were everywhere, roaming over and under clothes, and eventually we were both naked, and the feeling of skin on skin was wonderful. It was sensory overload and I clutched helplessly at the sheets as Heero's mouth and hands roamed over my body.

Heero flexed his hips, and the feeling of him inside me was wonderful. The pace was slow and torturous, and it was as if my brain had short circuited, leaving me able to only feel, clutching at Heero's shoulders.

"Heero….how….when…." I gasped.

"Soon," Heero promised, pausing. "All you have to do is share blood with me. Bite here," he instructed, bringing one of my fingers up to feel the pulse in his neck. "When the time comes, here," he repeated, his voice hoarse.

I nodded, the whole of my consciousness focused on the feeling that was slowly building and growing deep within. Our pace became more frantic, damp skin slapping against damp skin. I opened my eyes to find Heero's look a mirror of my own feelings, and he swept his head down and to the side, nipping at my neck.

"Now, god, Relena, now, please," he begged, and I felt the small jolt of power he thrust into my body set my nerves to singing. I gasped and surged forward, and my teeth split his skin in the same instant orgasm overcame me. Hot iron saltiness flooded my mouth, and the answering pain in my neck had me gasping and swallowing.

How to describe it? In that instant, I felt everything Heero felt, and my body bowed upward, my eyes wide as I clutched at Heero, feeling his orgasm as though it were my own. He shouted, collapsing on top of me, the strength no longer in his arms to support his weight.

I was on fire. Power was singing throughout my body, little biting jolts that pulled short gasps from my lungs. My skin was super sensitive, even the soft cotton of the sheets making me want to jerk away in protest. A roaring filled my ears and I turned my head to look at Heero, panicking as I fought to breathe.

/Stop stop stop! Heero, make it stop!/ I begged, unable to convince my vocal chords to work.

/It will be better in a moment/ Heero promised, rolling onto his side and tucking me against him.

/Don't fight it, just ride it out. I promise it will get better./

/What's happening to me?!/ I cried, fingers scrabbling to hold on to Heero's arms.

/It's the bond completing. Another few moments, that's it, I swear, Relena/

/It hurts/ I cried, tears pooling in the corner of my eyes before slipping down my cheeks.

/I know, I'm sorry/ Heero pulled me close, running fingers through my hair and murmuring against my temple, endless nonsense to try and help me focus on something else.

Gradually, bit by bit, the pain receded. My skin still felt highly sensitized but no longer the biting pain that had gripped me earlier. I slowly relaxed against Heero, trying to get my breathing back under control. I lay there panting, my eyes closed, enjoying the feeling of Heero rubbing gentle circles against my scalp.

"Better?" Heero murmured, pulling back to look at me. He gently wiped my tears away, leaning down to place a soft kiss on my mouth. "I'm sorry. There wasn't anything I could do to make the pain less," he apologized, brushing stray pieces of hair away from my face.

"Better," I assured him, pulling myself into a sitting position. He mirrored my pose, legs loosely crossed, and we each leaned forward till our foreheads were touching. "What was that?"

"The Bond completing. It works like osmosis," Heero tried to explain.

"Osmosis?"

"My power was concentrated on this side," Heero held up his right hand. "Completing the bond suddenly allowed to access to this side," his left hand was held up. "But since this side," a left hand waggle, "had less power, the higher concentration decided to flow over. It will take a bit for it to even out but you shouldn't be too aware of the power shifts."

"That's what your power feels like?" I wondered.

"Painful?" Heero questioned, shaking his head. "No, to me my power is warm and comfortable. I have to focus to truly be aware of it."

"Oh. What now?" I asked, one hand idly running up and down his thigh. I saw a twitch of interest but when I looked up I found Heero smirking at me, having guessed as to where my thoughts were headed. I definitely wouldn't mind a repeat performance, sans bond completion.

"First, you need – "

"To eat, I know. 'Becoming a Companion consumes a great deal of energy, and it is highly important to replace lost reserves. Food should be high in calorie content, as well as protein.' I did read the book," I teased, getting up and hunting for clothing. "I don't feel that different," I confessed.

Heero opened the door, following me out into the hallway before he spoke.

"You will tomorrow. First you eat, then we're coming back upstairs."

"Oh?"

The smirk, and the hidden promise was blatant in Heero's words.

"Yes. I'm not finished with you yet."


End file.
